


Moving to Black-Ridge

by Nyxxx16



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/F, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:55:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26985532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyxxx16/pseuds/Nyxxx16
Summary: Hinata Shouyo is new to Black-Ridge—an isolated town up in the mountains. Not a lot of new people move in to Black-Ridge, especially not of the human variety. Hinata is blissfully unaware of the attention he is garnering from almost every supernatural being in the town. Tensions rise as the urge to protect the sunshine incarnate is felt by everyone.Everyone is college age (18+), some preexisting relationships, perhaps some violence in later chapters—maybe some smut too? I don’t know, we’ll see where this goes.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Hinata Shouyou/Everyone, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 228
Kudos: 719





	1. Frosty Bitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay official first chapter is here. You guys might even be getting chapter 2 sooner than next week since I actually seem to be on a role.

Driving in a snow storm is never fun.

Especially not on a narrow two lane highway up a mountain with only a flimsy guardrail preventing you from careening over a cliff. Needless to say, Hinata Shouyou was stressed.

His knuckles were white from the death grip he had on the steering wheel. His teeth were clenched and his eyes laser focused on the road as he attempted to see through the billowing white fluff blanketing his car. Hinata had been driving for quite a long time, only taking quick breaks to stretch his legs or use the bathroom at a rest stop.

After feeling thoroughly creeped out by the dilapidated, spider infested, rest stop in the middle of absolutely bum-fuck nowhere, he decided he’d rather wait until he reached his destination. Unfortunately he seemed to have miscalculated how long it would take him to reach the town of Black-Ridge, seeing as how he expected to arrive before sundown, and yet here he was driving well into the night.

The light of the moon could not help illuminate the road due to the cascading snow blocking it out. The headlights— _thank you modern technology_ —was the only reason Hinata could see the next few feet in front of his car. But of course as he progressed on his journey, the storm continued to worsen. Hinata was always stubborn and never wanted to give up to anyone, in this instance however; he had to concede victory to Mother Nature—that frosty bitch.

  
Hinata sighed as he pulled off the road once he reached the approaching rest  
stop. The crunching sound was the only indication Hinata had that he made it onto the snow covered gravel rest area. He couldn’t see—well anything—any parking spaces and since he had the entire lot to himself, he pulled his car parallel to the road. He figured it would be easier than trying to find a spot and then having to reverse out when he wanted to leave.

Parking his car to the best of his ability, he took a deep breath and let his body melt into the seat. As his mind and body relaxed, Hinata realized just how long he had been sitting in that tensed position.

His fingers felt jammed in their crunched position and tension radiated from his jaw, down his neck, and into his shoulders. His eyes felt sore from attempting to see through the grainy wall of snow and his head ached from the ultimately fruitless concentration. Hinata was exhausted.

The stress of moving taxed his mind and the physical labor of packing up all his possessions strained his muscles and left an aching feeling in his bones. He realized he should’ve listened to his mother and broken this trip up into two days instead of trying to drive 22 hours straight. He’s a smart boy.

All he really wanted to do was curl up on a soft mattress and snuggle under his duvet. He was, of course, stuck in a car full of boxes, which he was reminded of whenever a particularly strong gust of wind would shake the car and jerk him out of his state of semiconsciousness.

He grumbled to himself and shifted in his seat attempting to find a comfortable position for the night. At least, comfortable enough when you have to sleep sitting up.

* * *

Exhaustion is a beautiful thing. The overall weariness Hinata felt was enough to  
pull him into the sweet abyss of a dreamless sleep. His head was slumped onto his shoulder and his breath came out in even inhales and exhales. A small pearl of drool slowly creeped out the corner of his mouth.

The snow no longer poured down in sheets, instead, it slowly drifted and danced in the air. The moon was now clearly visible and the moonlight made each snowflake shimmer and sparkle. The air was clear and still, and the night was silent.

That was, until a thud resonated on the car waking Hinata from his slumber. He groaned and rubbed at his eyes wondering why his mind was pulled out of the luxurious quiet. Doing a brief scan of his surrounding he found nothing out of place in his car.

A fluttering noise brought his attention to the hood of his car. An owl was perched there, staring at him. It was of a reasonable size with large, golden, cat like eyes. The eyes glowed like sunspots and warm honey, with undertones of rich amber and hazel fay flowers. Large tufts of feathers perked upright like horns and twitched as a snowflake landed on them. The speckling of light and dark grays litter across the owl’s brilliant white feathers. The feathers seemed soft and fluffy and Hinata wondered if his assertion was true. The owl had glistening onyx black talons that seemed perfectly capable of tearing its prey apart. The talons, though menacing, seemed to delicately grip the car. There are short and fluffy white feathers around its legs and feet creating a cute snow boot effect.

The owl shifted forward, hopping closer to the windshield. Only when the owl spread its wings to quickly shake off the snow did Hinata realize how truly massive this bird might be. The owl’s wingspan was approaching five feet and suddenly Hinata felt small compared to this owl. With that slightly sad and embarrassing thought he gazed back into the owls eyes. Its gaze surprised Hinata with its intensity. The owl seemed to be analyzing him just as much as he was analyzing the owl.

A small movement out of the corner of Hinata’s eyes barely caught his attention.  
It was so small he almost thought he had imagined it as he turned his head towards where he thought he saw movement.

Squinting, Hinata was able to discern movement in the inky blackness between the trees and underbrush. Out of the shadows of the forest a second pair of glowing eyes appeared. Normally the animal would’ve been able to perfectly blend into the shadowy environment, but because the world was covered in white, the black panther stood out like a sore thumb.

The cat was crouched low to the ground, slowly prowling towards the car. Only then did Hinata realize it’s gaze was pinpointed directly at the owl. _Oh God. This overgrown house cat is out for a midnight snack!_ Hinata fumbled with the door handle trying to get out of the car to scare the owl away. The panther seemed to know the jig was up and quickly sprinted at the car and jumped at the owl. The bird, who was startled by all the sudden motion, was already poised to fly away before the panther even reached the car.

The panther gracefully leapt over the hood of the car where the owl was not two seconds prior. Hinata had his face pressed up against the glass of his window staring with bated breath as the panther landed with effortless elegance. The cat turned around languidly and chuffed in dismay at its failed hunt. It swept its gaze across the car and its eyes landed on Hinata, who now understood how that owl must’ve felt.

Now that the cat was remaining still Hinata was finally able to gaze at it in it’s entirety. The panther seemed to stand around 3 1/2 feet tall and it neared 7 feet in length. The coat was a shimmering obsidian velvet covering corded muscle. Its eyes hummed with curiosity and shone a myriad of sunset yellows and oranges. The eyes were a mesmerizing topaz and smokey quartz that could easily hypnotize its intended target.

The stare down between man and cat was cut short as an indignant squawk was heard from a nearby tree. This seemed to bring the cat back to awareness as it took one last glance at the man in the car before it slunk back into the forest from where it came.

For a moment Hinata was stunned. He wondered if all that had actually happened or if his sleep deprived brain had only imagined it. Either way he was now wide awake and the weather had cleared up quite nicely. He figured he might as well make use of the good weather, and with only a few hours until sunrise he might be able to make it to the town in time for breakfast. Sausage and eggs with a mocha latte sounded heavenly right now. With a quick yawn and a stretch, Hinata turned the car on and pulled back onto the road, determined to reach his destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if there are any mistakes—I’m sure there are. I tried to edit this to the best of my ability but for some reason I’m bad at editing my own writing. If anyone is available to be a beta reader for future chapter please let me know. Please comment if you liked it so far.  
> Much love,  
> Nix


	2. Coffee Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, just a quick heads up. Last chapter we were mostly in Hinata’s point of view, this chapter is in third person omniscient point of view.

The sun was beginning to rise as Hinata crossed the boarder entering into the town of Black-Ridge. A rickety wooden sign was his welcome party.

_Welcome to Black-Ridge! Population: 5, 082_

  
  


The navy blue of the night sky was slowly starting to have threads of soft peaches and apricots bleed into it. The trees began to thin out as evidence of human life became more prevalent. The architecture of the town was homey and quaint. The stylistic choices included lots of stone and reveled brick. Not many people were out, but there were enough that Hinata was confident he could find someplace to grab breakfast.

At the stop light he quickly pulled out his phone and found Sakanoshita Diner, a small family owned restaurant that actually got rather good reviews. But to be honest, Hinata didn’t care, he just wanted edible and reasonably priced food.

The diner was just off the main road and had plenty of spaces for him to park. Thanking whatever god that was looking out for him so that he didn’t have to fight somebody for a parking space, Hinata exited his car and walked towards the diner.

The wind was biting at his face and the lack of sun did not help the frigid morning air. Hinata quickly entered into the diner and stomped his boots on the carpet in an attempt to get the excess snow off.

The interior of the diner was quiet and simplistic. The rust toned walls complemented the warm chestnut wood flooring. There was a bar area in front of the kitchen and booths lining the exterior. A few tables were scattered here and there with no clear pattern. Everything seemed to be haphazardly jammed into whatever spot it could fit.

A few patrons were seated at the bar reading the newspaper and drinking their cup of coffee. An employee, who was refilling a patron’s cup, looked up to see who had entered into the diner. He is around 5’10” with a large muscular build. He is wearing black jeans, a maroon sweatshirt, and dark brown hiking boots. A small leather bound notepad is stuffed into his pocket with a pen peeking out behind his ear. His hair is short and is a dark umber brown. His eyes are a rich chocolate mocha and his skin is a soft fawn with golden undertones. He smiles at Hinata and sets the coffee pot back under the machine to stay warm. He grabs a menu and some silverware from under the counter and approaches Hinata. 

“You do know you can sit wherever you want right?” The man’s voice is deep and melodic. He flashes Hinata the same warm and inviting grin from before. Hinata’s face is red and he can’t tell if it’s from the wind or the dashingly handsome server smiling at him. Hinata realizes he hasn't answered the man and has been staring at him for a few seconds too long. He blushes and looks at his feet, lightly coughing to clear his throat. 

_Words. Speak Shouyou. Speak!_

“Yes! Sorry!” Hinata quickly jumbled out these words. Now his face was definitely red due to acting like an utter idiot in front of this very, very attractive stranger. 

_You always were good at first impressions, Shouyou. Maybe next time you should try for something less monosyllabic._

The strangers eyes crinkled in amusement and he let out a breathy chuckle at Hinata’s word vomit. 

“Come on.” He motioned for Hinata to follow him as he placed his menu down at a booth. “Late night?” The stranger questioned.

“Uh yeah.” Hinata replied as he slid into the booth. “I just moved here and it was kind of a long drive.” Taking off his coat and getting comfortable, Hinata picked up the menu. 

“I figured. I haven’t seen you here before and all of our early morning regulars have already arrived.” The server took out his notepad and plucked his pen out from behind his ear. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Yes. Can I have a cup of coffee please?” Hinata looked at the man and thought that he’d rather drink in that warm smile and those hazelnut chocolate eyes. 

“Cream and sugar?” The server asked. He tilted his head cutely, like a dog listening to their human speaking.

“Yes please.” Hinata replied. 

“I’ll be right back with that.” The server turned to leave only for him to quickly turn back around. “I can’t believe I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Daichi, by the way.” A subtle dusting of roses covered Daichi’s cheeks.

“Hinata Shouyou.” Hinata blushed even further, realizing this situation didn’t usually include a reciprocal introduction. All Daichi did was smile even wider. 

“Be right back Hinata.” And with that, Daichi walked away to go get Hinata’s coffee. Hinata slumped back into his seat and sighed. He was still weary from the long haul he’d just been on and his energy was depleting rapidly. Hinata took out his phone sending his mother a quick text to let her know he made it safely. 

“Here’s your coffee.” Daichi set down a steaming cup of what was probably slightly stale drip coffee, but what currently seemed like liquified heaven to the tired man. A small pitcher of cream and a dainty container of sugar was placed on the table as well. 

“Thank you.” Hinata picked up the cup and let the warmth soak into his hands. The smell was rich and nutty. 

“Do you know what you want to eat, or would you like some more time to look?” Daichi leaned against the other booth. His pen and notepad at the ready. 

“No, I’m ready.” Hinata began. “Can I just have two eggs, sunny side up, and one order of sausage links please?” 

“You got it.” Daichi quickly wrote his order down. “I’m going to go put your order in. Let me know if you need anything else, okay?”

Hinata thanked Daich who smiled, nodded, and then left for the counter. 

Hinata settled back into his seat and poured the cream into his coffee. Stirring the cream in, the coffee lightened to the color of brown sugar and serenity. He sprinkled in a pinch of sugar and tasted a lovely blend of malt and caramel. Resting the cup in his hands, Hinata leaned back and closed his eyes. The heat emanating from the cup melted away his stress and gave him some respite from the cold. The door opened and the bell chimed, signaling another customer had arrived. Hinata, basking in the quietness of his mind, didn’t notice that the person had sat down on the other side of his booth until the stranger cleared their throat. 

Hinata quickly opened his eyes and felt as if his heart would jump out of his chest. The man sitting across from him was breathtaking. Daichi may be handsome, but this man was beautiful. His hair peaked out in tufts under his black beanie, the color a toasted gray that had Hinata wondering if it was natural or from a bottle. His skin is a soft cream with undertones of peaches. His eyes are seashells, acorns, and sunlight. The forest green coat the man was wearing made the hazelnut tones in his eyes sparkle. 

“I hope I didn’t startle you.” The man's voice was a soft tenor. It was the sound of silk and wind ruffling through the trees. “I hate sitting by myself.” The man confessed. “Would you mind my company?” His inquisitive eyes and impish smile intrigued Hinata. The man seemed friendly enough and Hinata supposed he should be making new friends if he’s going to be living in Black-Ridge for the foreseeable future. 

“Sure. I don’t mind company.” Hinata answered the man, who in turn outstretched his hand.

“My name is Sugawara Koshi, but my friends call me Suga.” The man—Suga—had soft hands that disguised the strong grip of his handshakes. 

“I’m Hinata Shouyou. It’s good to meet you Suga-san.” Hinata retracted his hand. He missed the warmth of his coffee mug too much, but he wouldn’t mind holding hands with Suga another time. 

The door to the kitchen swung open revealing Daichi carrying Hinata’s plate of food over to him. His eyes lit up as he saw Suga sitting with Hinata. 

“Here you go Hinata.” Daichi smiled down at the sunshine child. “Suga. I wasn’t expecting you until after my shift.” Daichi’s attention turned to Suga as he gazed at the ash-gray haired male with familiarity and fondness. 

“My lecture ended early so I decided to stop by sooner than we planned.” Suga replied with a cheerful smile and excited eyes. Hinata tried to pay attention to their conversation, but he was just so hungry. And the food looked really, really good. Placing his coffee mug back on the table he immediately dug in. The sausage was crispy yet tender, and the eggs fully set yet the yolk still perfectly runny. This was his chest of gold after journeying on that monstrous quest of a drive. Suck it, Princess Peach.

“Well I’ll be sure to let Takeda-sama know you liked the food.” Daichi cheekily smiled as Hinata looked up at him with full cheeks, resembling a chipmunk. Suga lifted a hand over his mouth to cover his giggles. Hinata, completely embarrassed once again, could only nod and intensely stare at Daichi. “Would you like your usual, Suga?” Daichi turned to Suga slightly laughing. 

“Yeah that’d be great thanks.” Suga nodded at Daichi who glanced once more at Hinata and left to go retrieve Suga’s order. Hinata choked down the massive mouthful and grabbed his coffee to help wash it down.

“Well aren’t you ravenous.” Suga stated in amusement. 

“I’ve been driving all night and this is my first stop for food.” Hinata sipped slowly on the coffee, relishing in the deep flavors. 

“But there was that massive snowstorm last night. Were you driving through that?” Suga questioned with clear concern in his eyes and voice. Suga leaned forward resting his arms on the table. He furrowed his brows and tilted his head. 

“No-no. I pulled off the road when it got too bad.” Hinata felt bad for worrying Suga. He was clearly an empathetic person and Hinata wanted that lovely smile to return to Suga’s face again. Suga relaxed back into his seat and nodded once at Hinata, satisfied with his answer. 

“I assume your new to Black-Ridge then, right?” Suga’s eyes flashed with curiosity again once his protective nature had been satiated. Hinata perked back up as the conversation shifted. 

“Yes! I actually haven’t even been to my place yet I was so hungry!” Hinata gave a close eyed laugh, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. Sugar smiled warmly at Hinata’s confession. Daichi walked back towards the pair with another cup of coffee and a blubbery muffin. Wisps of steam arose from the mug, now in Suga’s hands. The muffin was a lightly toasted golden brown with sugar crystals that had just barely started to caramelize on top. 

“Would you like me to get you one?” Hinata had been staring so intently at the muffin Daichi was waiting for it to fly off the plate and into the gravitational pull of Hinata’s mouth. Hinata looked at Daichi with large doe eyes that made Daichi feel like he might melt. Hinata’s look was pleading, but his nodding head was full of excitement. “Alright.” Daichi held up one finger and turned back around to got get Hinata his muffin. Hinata felt almost betrayed as Suga bit into his muffin. Suga gave Hinata a self-satisfied smirk and winked at him. 

Hinata finished up what was left of his breakfast and pushed his plate to the end of the table. He downed the rest of his coffee as Daichi approached the table. This time the muffin was in a little to go container. 

“You seemed almost done with your meal so I figured I’d wrap this up for you, just in case.” Daichi placed the small box in front of Hinata.

“You’re right, I do need to be on my way soon.” Hinata pulled out his phone to look up the directions from the diner to his new house.

“I’ll go get you the check then.” Daichi, once again, turned back around towards the counter to go get Hinata’s check.

“Can we exchange numbers Hinata?” Suga questioned the orange haired man. “Since you’re new to town I figured you might need some new friends. And besides, you seem pretty cool.” Suga gave Hinata a radiant, close eyed smile. 

“Absolutely Suga-san!” Hinata was nearly bouncing with joy.

Daichi returned with the bill and right as Hinata was reaching out to grab it, Suga snatched it from Daichi’s hands, slid his own card in the pocket, and handed it back to Daichi. Both Hinata and Daichi seemed momentarily stunned while Suga merely sipped innocently on his coffee. Daichi was torn between walking away and using Suga’s card, which Suga clearly wanted, or waiting for Hinata to remove Suga’s card and pay for himself. Luckily he didn’t have to decide as Suga sent him a scathing look and decided he’d rather deal with a flustered Hinata than an angry Suga. Daichi quickly fled to the cash register. 

“Suga-san I—Daichi-san wait!” Hinata called after Daichi but he was already walking away. “Suga-san you really don’t have to pay for my meal.” Hinata tried to pull out his wallet only for Suga to place his hand and Hinata’s arm and stop him. 

“You have my number. Next time you can buy me breakfast. Would that be fair?” Hinata contemplated on his decision until he finally relented and agreed to Suga’s proposition. 

“Alright Suga-san. Then I’m buying you and Daichi-san the best cup of coffee and blueberry muffin this town has to offer!” Suga did an internal victory dance at securing another chance to spend time with Hinata.

“I do believe I heard my name.” Daichi arrived back at the table and handed Suga his card back. 

“The next time we see Hinata he’s going to buy us the best cup of coffee and blueberry muffin in this town.” Suga looked at Daichi with the same energy as the cat who swallowed the canary. Daichi turned his attention to Hinata who’s eyes were blazing with fierce determination as he gave Daichi a nod. 

“Well I can never say no to a free muffin.” Daichi was quite pleased with these turn of events. Hinata shrugged on his coat and scooted out of the booth. He grabbed his tiny to-go box and turned to the pair. 

“I wish I could stay and chat with you two longer but I need to be on my way.” Hinata’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. He genuinely enjoyed their company. “Suga-san you have my number, can you give it to Daichi-San please.” 

“Sure Hinata. And you can drop the San for-“ Suga looked at Daichi who nodded in agreement at Suga. “-for both of us.” 

“Alright. It was good to meet you Suga, Daichi.” Hinata politely inclined his head at each of them and then turned around to walk to the door. 

“See you around Hinata.”

“It was good to meet you too!” Daichi and Suga chorused their goodbyes waving at Hinata who waved back before exiting the diner. 

“You just had to flirt with him, didn’t you.” Daichi spoke in a low tone to Suga as they both watched Hinata hop in his car. 

“Like you weren’t doing the same.” Suga replied with a cheeky grin. “Besides he’s cute. What was I supposed to do, not flirt with him?” Daichi had to relent that Suga did make a valid point.

* * *

Hinata finally approached an old iron mailbox with an engraved 780 on it. He finally made it. _780 Willowcrest Rd._ Hinata turned off the country road and onto his stupidly long driveway. The house—or cabin really—was not big, but it was large enough for Hinata. 

It was a dark oak, two story cabin. It had a porch out front with a hanging loveseat bench and a rocking chair. There were planter boxes in front of the porch that were currently packed with snow. Icicles hung from the overhanging porch roof and railing. The steps leading up to the porch were no doubt slick and icy. It would most certainly be an adventure unpacking all the boxes from his car. Luckily Hinata had thought ahead—or rather his mother had thought ahead—and had all of the large furniture shipped and installed before Hinata had arrived. Truthfully, Hinata hadn’t bought the house. The cabin was his great aunts summer vacation home who hadn’t visited it in years. Workers had to come and bug bomb the place and throw out all of his aunt's old furniture. He didn’t want to buy all new furniture, but it’s still cheaper than buying a new house AND all new furniture. He figured he’d cut his losses and be happy with what he was given. Besides, buying new furniture meant he didn’t have to live in a house transplanted from the 70s. 

_He shudders at the image of his aunt's old green and pink plaid couches._

Hinata trudged up to the door and slid the key into the lock. Opening the door, the house was cold and silent. Using the flashlight on his phone, Hinata located the light switch on the wall. Flicking it once, twice, thrice—he needed to go down in the basement and flip the circuit breaker. 

_Fine. Time to be an adult Shouyou and do adult things. Like going down into the dark, cold, scary basement all by yourself...I hate being a grown up._

Hinata walked through the living room, down the hallway passed the kitchen, and opened the basement door. The stairs groaned and creaked under his weight. Shuffling passed boxes of his aunt's possessions that had survived the bug bombing, Hinata found the furnace and electrical board. He pulled out the letter his aunt had sent him with the instructions for how to turn on and off the heating, electrical, and plumbing in the cabin. Hinata flipped some switches and turned some levers as the house began to hum with electricity and heating. He left the basement feeling quite proud of himself, especially as he reentered the living room and was finally able to turn some lights on. Hinata found the thermostat, cranked up the heat and decided to get down to work. 

The next few hours went as follows: go to car, grab a box, bring box back into house, (if box is labeled kitchen, bring box into kitchen, etc.), unpack items and gently throw them into their respective cabinets or drawers, toss box into oblivion. 

When Hinata gets into work mode, there really is no stopping him. Only after he placed the last empty box in storage did he realize he worked straight through the entire day. The sun was slowly descending in the late afternoon sky when Hinata finally sat down on the dark brown, L-shaped, couch. There were soft and fuzzy blankets folded over the back of the couch and decorative dark cranberry accent pillows. Hinata wrapped one of the blankets around him seeing as how the cabin was still cold. His exhaustion suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. He figured he’d close his eyes and lay down for a few moments—but he wouldn’t fall asleep! No, definitely no-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

* * *

Of all the things Kenma thought he’d be doing today, delivering pies to a neighbor he didn’t even know he had wasn’t on the list. His dip dyed hair was pulled back into a haphazard ponytail with wisps delicately framing his face. A deep emerald sweater was thrown over a black button up. The bottom of the shirt was peeking out from under the sweater. He wore black jeans and black leather combat boots. Kenma was putting on his black, calf length trench coat and small black leather backpack, readying himself for the cold. His hands were stuffed into his pockets as he leaned against the counter, waiting for Madame Razz to come out from the back room. 

His employer was quite the strange woman. When she first began her business as a medium, she didn’t have a storefront or office where she could talk with clients. She ran her entire business out of her living room. She became quite popular with the locals and was able to afford a loan to open up her own store: _The Whispering Woods_. One of her first customers was Kenma’s now good friend, Ennoshita. Madame Razz was well known for being able to touch an object and get flashes of the past associated with that object. This was called Psychometry, but Madame Razz preferred the name touchy-object-vision-thingy.

What drew Ennoshita to Madame Razz was what he thought was his ability to see the past—when actually, he was seeing the future. He now worked for Madame Razz as a seer. Ennoshita was the one who roped in Kinnoshita, then Narita, and finally, with help from Kuroo, Kenma.

Kinnoshita and Narita worked as a pair in energy reading and house cleansing, while Kenma specialized in potions and protection charms. Every once in a while Madam Razz would have the four tutor each other in their respective specializations. Madame Razz believed the key to becoming a successful witch was one's diversity in knowledge. 

Kenma straightened up his posture as he heard Madame Razz humming as she approached him. She was holding two boxes, each containing a freshly baked pie. Her long gray purple hair flounced around her as she walked. A small twig with a dangling leaf was stuck in her hair. She wore mismatching earrings, large and circular bottle cap glasses, and a fuzzy green scarf. She wore a patchwork, tricolor purple tunic and dark blue leggings with purple slippers. 

“Here you go dearie!” Madam Razz’s voice was jubilant and her smile—though she was missing a few teeth—was warm and loving. She handed Kenma the boxes as a small butterfly landed on her glasses. Wherever Madame Razz went, butterflies seemed to follow—even in winter. “Now off you go!” She clasped her hands behind her back waiting expectantly for Kenma to turn around and leave the shop. Kenma really should be used to this by now, but he wasn’t.

“Madame Razz, I don’t know where I’m supposed to take these.” Kenma states honestly. 

“Weren’t you listening? I told you to take these pies to Hinata Shouyou.” Madame Razz laughed at Kenma’s seemingly forgetfulness.

“Yes Madame Razz, I heard that, but I don’t know who this Hinata Shouyou is, or where he lives.” Kenma realized then and there that this was going to be a long day. All he wanted to do was sort his herbs, charge his crystals, and talk with his plants. But no, he’s a delivery boy today. 

_This Hinata Shouyou better be worth it._ Kenma internally grumbled. 

“Of course you do! You’ve told me about him and his cute little cabin before.” Kenma knows Madame Razz can sometimes get the past and the future confused. That’s the problem with token-object reading mixing with divination. 

“Well, okay. Let’s say I forgot, Madame Razz.” Kenma decided he’d rather go along with her than fight her. “Can you remind me?”

“Well I don’t know where he lives.” Madame Razz replied bluntly yet cheerfully. She then proceeded to turn Kenma around and walk him out of the shop. “Don’t dilly-dally any longer, the pies will get cold!” For a little old lady she sure was strong. Pushing him out the door she called out, “You’ll know it when you see it, dearie!” And then closed the door in his face.

Thus, bringing Kenma to be currently walking down Willowcrest road. He initially used a divining crystal over a map he kept in his car, and it brought him to the general vicinity of his own house. Getting out of his car that he parked on the side of the road, he decided to ask the trees for guidance. Most of the trees were asleep due to it being the middle of winter, but there were some pine and fir trees that answered his call.

The trees directed him to a small cabin that Kenma had thought had been abandoned for a few years. There was a car out front and the house had a soft glow from the lights inside. He didn’t know he had a new neighbor. He supposed he would have to ask his mother. He walked up the snow covered driveway and stomped his boots on the welcome mat in front of the door. Kenma knocked and waited for someone to answer. 

* * *

  
The first thing that brought awareness to Hinata’s senses was the soothing sensation of someone running their hand through his hair. The fingers were soft and delicate as they gently massaged his head. 

_“Hey. You need to wake up.”_ A kind and tender voice spoke softly. The voice was a delicate tenor, the sound of cellos and singing daffodils. Another voice could be heard scoffing.

_“Hey dumbass. There’s someone at your door.”_ This voice was louder. It had a sardonic monotone that starkly contrasted with the gentleness of the first voice.

What brought Hinata to full consciousness was the reverberating _“Get up.”_ in his ear from the second voice. 

Hinata swiftly sat up, eyes wide searching the room for the two people he had heard. Not to mention the person carding their fingers through his hair. A small part of him missed that sensation. A larger part of him was scared, as that experience had all felt so incredibly real to him. 

A knocking at the door brought him back to his senses. Hinata threw the blanket off of him, looked once more around the room in confusion, and walked to the front door. He opened the front door to find a black haired man with bleach blonde tips who was holding two boxes that smelled divine. His skin was the color of cream and honey and his eyes glowed like the harvest moon on the first frost of October. His cheeks were flushed raspberries from the cold.

“Hinata Shouyou?” The man asked. Hinata definitely wasn’t expecting this stranger at his door to know who he was. 

“Yes. Hi, who are you?” Hinata quirked his head quizzically. The stranger seemed to barely suppress his amused smirk. 

“Kozume Kenma, I’m your neighbor.” Kenma offered the boxes to Hinata. “These are for you. They’re a welcoming gift.” Hinata reluctantly took the boxes from Kenma. He was still a bit confused with everything that had happened in the short span of five minutes. 

“Would you like to come inside?” Hinata doesn’t know what compelled him to ask Kenma inside, but he does anyway. Kenma visibly bristled, which only further confused Hinata. 

“You really shouldn’t just invite strangers into your home.” Kenma was concerned for Hinata’s lackadaisical attitude about inviting random individuals into his home. Kenma could’ve been something far more dangerous than a green witch who just wanted to deliver some pie. Well, Kenma was dangerous, but only to his enemies. 

Hinata looked at Kenma like a kicked puppy, and that nearly broke him. Kenma swung his backpack off and rummaged around for something to write with. 

“Here, wait, I’m sorry. Let me give you my number.” Kenma found a piece of charcoal he usually used in protection rituals but he figured it would work in this instance. Kenma rolled Hinata’s sleeve up and wrote his number on Hinata’s arm. “There. Send me a text or give me a call if you want me to give you a tour around Black-Ridge.” Hinata looked at his arm, and then back at Kenma. A smile slowly spread across his face. 

“Thanks Kenma! That sounds like a lot of fun!” Any and all awkwardness seemed forgotten with Hinata’s megawatt smile. Kenma felt as if he could bask in Hinata's glow all day—unfortunately he couldn’t, he still had work to do for his evening shift. Kenma stepped backwards and motioned behind him.

“I’m sorry, but I need to go.” Kenma really did want to stay with Hinata, but he forced himself to begin walking back towards the driveway. “It was good meeting you Hinata.” Kenma turned around to walk down the steps from the porch.

“It was good meeting you too!” Hinata proclaimed loudly. “Oh and Kenma?!” Kenma turned around to see what else Hinata wanted. “Call me Shouyou!” Kenma smiled and nodded.

“Alright Shouyou.” With a last wave goodbye, Kenma walked down the driveway and began his trek back to his car. 

_Being an impromptu delivery boy was definitely worth it._

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked chapter 2. Thank you to everyone who has read this, left kudos, commented, or bookmarked. Sorry about the inconsistency in formatting, I’m still getting used to writing on this site, but I think I’ve figured it out. I’m having fun writing this and I hope you all are enjoying this so far. As always,  
> Much love,  
> -Nix


	3. Don’t scare the plants!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m back! Sorry about the wait. Most people have midterm week, I had midterm month. Luckily my November is clearer so I’ll probably have another chapter up around thanksgiving (if you’re in the US), or the fourth week in November. Thank you to @Ezra_Pearl who was a wonderful beta for this chapter!

Kenma shuffled as he exited his car which was parked in front of _The Whispering Woods._ Instead of going into the shop, he hurries to the store next door: _The Greenhouse_ . It was a botanical and gardening shop that _The Whispering Woods_ got most of their herbs and plants from. 

The late afternoon sun lowered itself. The wind whistled and bit at any exposed skin. 

Kenma hurried to take refuge in the shop. He breathed in deeply as the air no longer felt like knives piercing his lungs with each breath he took in. He promptly strolled through the store. 

Arriving at the tropical plant section, the witch searched the greenhouse (hence the name) for the person he was looking for. 

Asahi and Yachi were two very talented forest nymphs. Kenma frequently came to them asking questions about which plant to be used in which particular potion or salve. At first, they were both wary of Kenma, but they eventually warmed up to him. The three now found it easy to converse and share information with one another. 

Yachi was crouched over a grow-bed filled with bulbs and seeds that were just starting to sprout new life.

The _babies_ were her favourite to take care of and watch them grow. Kenma was a green witch (otherwise known as a hedge witch) so he got along quite well with the plants in the shop. This helped the nymphs warm up to him faster. Kenma could hear the plants passing along the message of his arrival to Yachi. 

She turned around and smiled brightly. 

“Kenma!” Yachi called out to the witch approaching her. Kenma waved back at her. “Are you picking up an order for Madame Razz?” Yachi asked standing up, ready to get the order.

“I was actually wondering if you could help me collect some herbs?” Yachi gazed questioningly at Kenma. “I’m fresh out of Rue, Borage, Cinquefoil, and Pennyroyal.” Kenma could see the cogs turning in Yachi’s head.

“That’s going to be a rather strong protection spell.” Yachi hummed as she mulled over what information Kenma was leaving out. “ _Rue_ doesn’t like you, so I’ll gather some sprigs from her. You can gather from _the others._ ” With that, Yachi diligently walked towards another section of the store to collect the Rue.

“You named the Rue plant... _Rue_?” The corner of Kenma’s mouth curved upwards in a barely-there smile. “Very original Yachi.” The nymph turned around and smiled bashfully. 

“I guess you don’t need to be told what the Pennyroyal’s name is?” Kenma’s gentle smile broadened in amusement. “I’ll come find you when I’m done.” Kenma nodded as both parties turned to go collect the herbs. 

Kenma crossed through the tropical plant section and entered into the perineal section. The plant he was looking for was in the mint family and thus resembled...well, mint. 

The difference was that this plant had bursts of lavender flowers. Kenma was slightly envious at the ease in which it took the nymphs to make these plants flower. Some of these plants only bloomed in very particular conditions. After finding the plant Kenma crouched down and lifted some of the delicate branches.

“I assume your name is Penny.” Kenma softly spoke to the plant. His tone was gentle and nurturing. Kenma enjoyed working with plants—they were far better company than most people in his opinion. 

The plant was a bit weary of the energy of this witch. It was used to the gentle nature of Asahi or the happy and delicate personality of Yachi. This witch was colder than the two and that unsettled the plant. 

Kenma could sense that this plant was not very social. For a plant with a _slap-you-in-the-face_ scent, its personality was rather timid. 

“I need your help.” Kenma tried again to calm the plant. “I’ve grown quite fond of someone.” This moment felt quite intimate, even if it was just between him and a plant. “Even though I’ve literally just met him. I—“ Kenma was puzzled with his attachment to Shouyou. “I don’t really understand it, truthfully.” 

He resolved to figure it out later. “All I know is that I want to protect him. So, please. Will you help me?” Kenma could feel the plant’s initial rigidity to him softening. It seemed under that shy exterior was a plant eager to help.

————————————————————————————————————————————  
  


Heeled black leather Chelsea boots clacked their way down Main Street. The owner of the boots, a tall man wearing black skinny jeans, a white turtleneck and a dark grey houndstooth trench style coat. His hair was a cool-toned chestnut brown and his skin like a lightly toasted slice of milk bread. He had a natural air of arrogance that choked down the throats of the _peasants_ passing by him on the street. 

The man's gaze was directed at his destination, _The Whispering Woods._

As he opens the door a bell chimed, signalling his arrival into the shop. A small bundle of purple could be seen waddling out of the backroom caring boxes stacked so high that the person carrying them wasn’t visible.

“Tooru dearie! Give Madame Razz a hand with these boxes!” Even when she couldn’t see who had entered her shop, she somehow always knew who it was. 

“Of course Madame Razz!” Tooru cheerfully weaved through the rows of shelves holding various herbs, books, and crystals. When he reached her, Tooru picked up the boxes and let Madame Razz lead him to where she wanted them placed. As he set the boxes down Madame Razz turned to him. 

“Now what can Madame Razz do for you dearie?” Her eyes blinked owlishly as she gazed up at him. 

“I’m here to pick up an order for Iwa-chan. I believe I was supposed to meet with Kenma, do you know where I could find him?” Tooru smiled fondly at the eldest witch. 

“Oh I’m sorry dearie but Kenma’s out, he‘s running a delivery for me right now.” Her shoulders slumped as she was unable to immediately repay Tooru for his kindness. After a moment of silence, she perked back up. “But you’re more than welcome to wait here for him until he gets back. I don’t think it should take too long.” Madame Razz ushered the tall man to a corner of her shop, next to the room Ennoshita did his readings in.

It was a quiet and secluded section that had comfy chairs and couches that were surrounded by bookshelves. It was a bit of a maze to get back there. “You sit here and I’ll go make us a pot of tea.” And with that, she turned around, likely go make tea, but she forgot sometimes. Tooru sat down in a well-cushioned armchair and took out his phone. 

He sent a quick text to his snarky cat friend asking him where his witch was at the moment. Tooru was not a patient man, especially not when it concerned his Iwa-chan. He slumped back into the chair, deep in thought. 

Tooru was particularly impatient today because he was worried about Iwaizumi.

A full moon was approaching and without his potion, Iwaizumi would be in a lot of pain. Tooru had plenty of time to get the potion from Kenma, but he wouldn’t be able to calm his nerves until he was holding the potion in his hands.

“I thought I heard you come in.” A calm voice brought Tooru back to reality. Suga stood leaning against one of the bookshelves. His arms were crossed as a small smirk crept onto his face. Tooru wrinkled his nose.

“You smell like wet dog.” Tooru eyed the grey-haired man with respectful apathy. Suga’s smirk broke out into a full grin as he walked to take the nearest seat to Tooru. A small coffee table was placed between two armchairs. 

“It’s good to see you too Tooru.” Suga’s eyes hummed with amusement as he sat down and rotated the armchair so he’d lean more towards Tooru. 

Respectful apathy turned to subdued fondness and a small grin slowly formed on Tooru’s face. “I assume you’re here for the same reasons I am?” Suga rested his ankle on the opposite knee as he relaxed back into the seat. Tooru hummed in agreement and slightly inclined his head. 

“And I assume you’ve already figured out that that _pudding-head_ witch isn’t here.” Tooru had to strongly resist the urge to roll his eyes at the blandness of their conversation. He truly didn’t mind Suga’s company, today he was just particularly antsy. 

“How’s Iwaizumi doing?” Suga was always a bit of an odd bird in Tooru’s opinion. His genuine empathy for people he’s barely interacted with was astonishing to Tooru. It’s not that Tooru wasn’t capable of empathy, he was just selective with who he was empathetic with. 

“About as well as Sawamura-kun is doing I suppose.” Tooru wasn’t intentionally being hostile, he was just particularly ornery today. “He’s out with Kyotani. Hajime is trying to get him to blow off steam.”

Tooru brought his hand up to face, resting his chin on his palm. Tooru gazed out into space. His mind was far away for a moment, deep in thought. “Iwa-chan has been tense lately. And Kyotani has been a pain in my ass.” He looked back into Suga’s eyes; mirth visible and a slight smirk graced his features. “But you know how it is.” Suga hummed in agreement. 

“Daichi tries his best to act like he isn’t in pain.” Suga furrowed his brow and worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “He should know by now that he can’t get anything past me.” He chuffed out an amused scoff. 

“What about those two trouble makers of yours? How are they doing?” Tooru questioned Suga. Not that he actually wanted to know, he just figured there would be a humorous story there. Those two were always doing something stupid. 

Suga rolled his eyes and let out an exhausted sigh. He raised his hand to massage his pinched brows. 

“Don’t even get me started.” Suga pitifully whined. Tooru outright laughed at his...acquaintance...friend?...friend's misfortune. “Noya has been showing up basically every day pestering Asahi at work.” Suga looked up at Tooru. “And Tanaka hasn’t realized that Kiyoko is interested in Yachi!” Suga whispered the last part. His eyes were filled with the stress of dealing with incompetent fools on the daily. 

Tooru could relate. 

“Well fuck.” Tooru didn’t really know what else to say. He was trying to stay engaged with Suga while also staying alert for Kenma to show up. 

“Language!” Madame Razz scolded Tooru as she reappeared with Daichi in tow. She was carrying the teapot as Daichi carried a tray of biscuits and small cakes. She shuffled to the large coffee table in front of the armchairs where she placed the teapot. 

“Sorry, Madame Razz.” Tooru sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. She looked at him down her nose.

“No your not.” Madame Razz stated bluntly, taking Tooru off guard. He gaped like a fish at her scowl. And in the blink of an eye, her demeanour shifted back into that of a loving grandmother. “But I forgive you, dearie!” Tooru made eye contact with Suga who merely shrugged in bewilderment. 

Daichi set the tray down, as Madame Razz grabbed the four small teacups from the tray. Two couches were set on either side of the coffee table that Daichi sat on as Madame Razz poured tea for the four. She was only getting tea for Tooru and yet she came back with enough teacups for all of them. 

The three young men thanked the elder witch as she handed out the tea. 

“How’s Shouyou dearie doing?” Madame Razz looked expectantly at Suga and Daichi who were more than confused by the question. They hadn’t brought Hinata up to Madame Razz. Tooru looked oblivious.

“Who?” Tooru questioned. He squinted his eyes in confusion at the other three. 

“Don’t be silly Tooru dearie!” Madame Razz brushed Tooru off with a wave of her hand. “Haji dearie’s new friend!” She gave Tooru a toothy grin. “You know! The redhead even Doggy dearie likes!” Tooru was beyond confused now. 

He was wondering if he had amnesia, or if—no—Iwa-chan wouldn’t lie to him about something as minuscule as this. 

While Tooru was lost in the rebirth of his anxieties, Suga confusedly mouthed _“Doggy Dearie?”_ at Daichi. In response, Daichi mouthed back, _“Kyōtani.”_ Once again, Suga shrugged in bewilderment. 

“Anyway.” Daichi drew the attention of the other three to him. “Suga and I saw Hinata earlier this morning.” Madame Razz was smiling at Daichi while Tooru was pensively studying him. “He seemed to have been doing good, if a bit tired from the drive.” Daichi wasn’t going to let Tooru’s analytic gaze intimidate him. 

“He seems like a good boy.” Madame Razz hummed.

_Is he a kid?_ Tooru questioned internally. 

“I’m sure he’s a fine young man.” The witch continued on, occasionally sipping on her tea. 

_Well, that clears that up._ Tooru mused.

“He’ll fit in just fine in this town.” Madame Razz hopped to her feet as she set her teacup down. “You three be sure to look after him, won’t you dearies?” She gave a pointed glance to each of them. Daichi responded with a firm nod. Suga smiled in affirmation. When her gaze landed on Tooru, he still looked confused and pensive. The only difference was that now he had a resolved glint of intrigue in his eyes. He gave her a soft nod. 

_Well, now I have to meet this mysterious redhead._ Tooru had a mischievous air about him that peaked Suga’s suspicion. 

“Good dearies!” Madame Razz clapped her hands together and gave the three a close eyed smile. “Best be off now. Madame Razz has quite a bit of work on her hands.” She waved her hand as she turned and walked back into the mini-labyrinth of shelves. 

For a moment the three sat in silence. Until Madame Razz poked her head back around one of the corners of the bookshelves. 

“What are you three still doing here?” The three jumped slightly and gave Madame Razz puzzled looks. “Kenma is back now. You were all waiting for him.” None of them had heard the telltale chime of the door opening. 

That was until just that moment. The door chimed and boots could be heard stomping off the snow. 

_How does she always know?!_ Tooru pondered indignantly. The three rose from their seats to go greet the aforementioned witch.

————————————————————————————————————————————

“KENMA!” The witch jumped and the small shears he was using clipped his finger. A small pebble of blood beaded upon his finger. He sent a sharp glare to the loudmouth owl. Kenma could feel the Pennyroyal’s anxiety rising due to the loud noise.

“You scared Penny.” Kenma scolded Bokuto who was already getting a stern glare from the siren beside him.

“Kenma, how are you?” The soft tenor of the siren flowed into Kenma’s ears. Even though Akaashi wasn’t actively trying to ensnare Kenma, his voice was still alluringly beautiful. 

“I’ve been busy.” Kenma softly hummed in response. He was trying to calm the anxious plant by gently petting the leaves. “But I’m surviving.” Kenma looked back up at the two in front of him. Bokuto was holding onto Akaashi’s arm and gently resting his chin atop the shorter males head. Kenma almost couldn’t take the cuteness. 

The Siren’s eyes landed on the bleeding finger. He walked towards the witch, the owl followed not wanting to be left behind. Bokuto was quite the clingy creature. 

“Here. Let me help you.” Akaashi knelt down next to Kenma and delicately grabbed one of the leaves off the nearby plants. Kenma didn’t recognize it. Akaashi delicately wrapped the long and slender frond around Kenma’s finger and tied it in place. He placed both hands around the witches finger and a soft blue glow could be seen emanating from Akaashi’s hands. Kenma felt the leaf tighten slightly and the pain dissipated. 

“There.” Akaashi let go and Kenma looked at his finger. It was still cut, but no longer bleeding. The leaf was acting as an adequate bandaid. “It’s not perfect, but it’ll do for now.” Akaashi stood up and had Bokuto instantly latch onto him. All shifters became much more touchy around the full moon. A fond smile bloomed on Akaashi’s face as adoration gleaned in his eyes. 

Akaashi must’ve used a bit of his charming magic to calm the excited owl. Bokuto was unusually wound up due to the approach of the full moon. Luckily he wasn’t affected to the same degree as the wolves. 

“Will you be attending the full moon ritual with us?” The pudding head witch questioned the siren with an inquisitive gaze. 

While sirens were not witches, they were one of the few other supernatural creatures that possessed some magic. Akaashi specialized in water and aquatic plant magic—which was assumably why the two were in the water-plant section. Along with any form of plant magic came some variety of healing magic. 

“Probably, but at the moment I’m not entirely sure.” Akaashi slightly furrowed his brow in contemplation. Bokuto was a bit distracted by all the colorful plants surrounding them. Kenma couldn’t blame him: the plants were very beautiful. “What about Goshiki? Have you asked him yet?” Akaashi and Kenma both got along quite well with the fae. The Fae, like the nymphs, mostly dealt with earth magic which Goshiki was quite proficient in. He also made an excellent vegetable soup. 

“He and Shirabu had some kind of fight.” Kenma shrugged his shoulders. “You know how he gets after they fight.” Akaashi hummed in response. They both knew how Goshiki liked to calm himself by taking refuge in his garden. Now that it was winter, Goshiki was probably holed up in his room, sulking. 

Shirabu on the other hand was probably out causing a bit of mayhem. Being an Ifrit—a fire demon or djinn—he had a tendency to lash out when angered or upset. Akaashi wondered how much of a tongue lashing Shirabu would receive from Semi once he calmed down. 

Kenma stood, holding his bundle of pennyroyal. He silently thanked Penny and promised to send one of the nymphs to help her regrow her lost foliage. Penny preened in anticipation. 

“Kenma.” A warm deep voice called out to the witch. Asahi was walking towards the group with two bunches of herbs in his hands. “Yachi told me to get these for you.” The gentle giant handed Kenma his Borage and Cinquefoil. The plants surrounding the group happily hummed in recognition. 

Asahi nodded in greeting to the siren and owl pair. Bokuto has his arms wrapped around Akaashi’s shoulders and his face was buried in the siren's hair. Akaashi had a light dusting of blush covering his cheeks due to the attention he was receiving. Asahi even looked embarrassed for the black haired male. 

“Thank you Asahi.” Kenma thanked the tall nymph. 

“It’s no problem.” Asahi smiled down at the witch. “Yachi was having some trouble. Rue is acting a bit sassy today.” Bokuto wondered how a plant could be acting sassy. 

How did that work?

“Oh good! You found him Asahi.” Yachi approached the group from behind Kenma. She was carrying the Rue and had a canvas bag to put the plants in. She opened the bag and she and Kenma placed the bundles of plants inside. “Let’s go get this rung up and then you can be on your way.” Kenma nodded at Yachi’s suggestion and the group split up. Kenma and Yachi bid their goodbyes to the trio as Asahi continued to help the siren and slightly inebriated owl. 

————————————————————————————————————————————

Kenma wished he had brought a scarf with him to work today. The wind whipped him in the face as he exited The Greenhouse. His boots crunched in the snow as he walked to The Whispering Woods. Hopefully Madame Razz wouldn’t notice the extra time he spent “delivering”. 

“There you are Kit Kat.” Kenma has spent so much time watching where he was stepping so he wouldn’t slip on ice, he wasn’t paying attention to who was around him.

“What are you doing here?” Kenma didn’t have enough patience to deal with the Cheshire Cat grin Kuroo was giving him. 

“Now is that any way to greet an old friend?” Kuroo was standing in his way, not allowing Kenma to walk away without chatting with him first. What a selfish cat bastard.

“What happened to your finger?” Genuine concern laced through Kuroo’s baritone. Kenma looked down to his shoddy makeshift bandaid around his finger. 

“I cut myself while collecting some herbs.” Kenma’s hand was gently cradled in Kuroo’s larger ones. “Nothing major.” Kenma shrugged and tried to pry his hand out of Kuroo’s grip. The large cat merely tightened his grip on Kenma’s wrist. Kuroo brought the witches small and delicate hand up to his face where he gave the injured area a light kiss. 

“There.” Kuroo lowered his hands. “All better now.” Kenma was flustered and his face bloomed with color. He pulled his hand back towards his chest as he looked down at the ground.

“You’re ridiculous.” Kenma muttered while fighting back a grin. When Kenma looked back up, Kuroo’s face was smug. 

_Kuroo, we were having a moment._ Kenma thought in exasperation. He rolled his eyes and attempted to get around the taller male, only to be continuously stopped. Kuroo could be an impenetrable blockade when he wanted to be. 

“Kuroo. I’m cold. Now either get to the point or get out of my way.” Kenma was not someone to mess with when he was cold. 

Kuroo clicked his tongue in fake annoyance. He knew when to push Kenma’s buttons and now was not the time. 

“You have an impatient vampire pestering me about your whereabouts.” Kuroo let a sly grin creep onto his face. “He keeps asking me where my witch is.” Kenma rolled his eyes and grit his teeth. Kuroo was on the brink of letting out a maniacal laugh. 

“I’m going to kill Oikawa.” Kenma muttered under his breath. He didn’t need Kuroo‘s ego growing anymore. 

“Ooo sounds like fun.” Kuroo‘s grin widened. His sharp canines glinted in the dwindling light. “But perhaps, not so close to a full moon. Iwaizumi might seek vengeance.” Kuroo was cheekily grinning and gave off a mischievous aura. 

“I’m pretty sure he’d help me actually.” Kuroo finally let out his hyena laugh at Kenma’s sardonic wit. 

Kenma saw his chance and he took it. Kenma slipped past the distracted Kuroo and made a mad dash to the entrance of the store. 

Kuroo let out an indignant huff but let the small witch scamper inside. He forgot sometimes that others couldn’t handle the cold the same way he could. 

The bell tinkered and Kenma attempted to get the snow off his boots. The door shut behind the two as the warmth of the shop enveloped them. 

————————————————————————————————————————————

Hinata was ravenous. He skipped lunch in favor of unpacking and now he was dealing with the consequences of low blood sugar. He was lucky Kenma brought him some food. 

“How could I forget I needed groceries?” Hinata placed the boxes on the kitchen counter. He knew he forgot something. 

Opening the lid of the first box he saw a glorious shepherds pie. The top of the pie was crisp and golden. The mashed potatoes had a beautifully shatterable broiled layer on top protesting the light and fluffy buttery/cheddary clouds underneath. A layer of peas was sandwiched between the potatoes and the stew which added a lovely earthy contrast. The stew was made of ground lamb, onions, carrots, garlic, fresh thyme and rosemary, some variety of tomato flavoring (probably tomato paste), beef broth and dark Irish stout. The rich flavors melded into meaty goodness that had Hinata salivating merely at the smell. 

He was feasting tonight!

The second box contained a mouthwatering, perfectly golden, apple pie. Hinata was impressed with the structure of the crust. Pie crust is famously finicky so getting a good crust is much harder than most people assume. The autumnal scents of nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves emanated from the pie. it filled the kitchen with a homey and luxurious scent that tickled Hinata’s nose. 

Dinner and dessert. He needed to find the godly person who made these treats. Food is always the best housewarming gift a person can give. 

Hinata dug in straight away. He purposefully chose to ignore the strange occurrence before Kenma arrived. He chalked it up to sleep deprivation and being in a new environment. 

_Why focus on the scary disembodied voices when you can focus on the delicious food in front of you?_

————————————————————————————————————————————

Kenma walked to his station in the store. It was on the far right side and was mainly filled with different herbs, plants, salves, and teas. He had turned one of the old maintenance closets into his own apothecary storage space. He also kept potions and salves people had specifically requested from him there. 

“There’s the witch I was looking for!” A jovial voice called out the duo. Tooru was gallivanting towards the pair with Daichi and Suga trailing behind him. The vampire had visibly brightened at the realization kenma had arrived and he would be getting the potion soon. The sooner he had the potion, the sooner he could get back to Hajime. 

Kenma gave a single nod in greeting and continued on his way. Tooru, seemingly unfazed, followed Kenma on his heels. 

“It’s good to see you two.” Suga greeted Kuroo with a friendly smile. Daichi was staring intently at the witch. He seemingly ignored Kuroo and carried on after the pair. 

Both Suga and Kuroo were confused by his behavior. 

“Ah. It’s good to see you two Suga-san.” Kuroo tried to keep eye contact with Suga, but his eyes followed Daichi instead. Kuroo and Suga continued after the trio. 

The group arrived at Kenma’s storage closet. Tooru was still on Kenma’s ass, which annoyed the witch and the cat. Daichi was slightly behind them, still intensely gazing at the witch. 

Suga grabbed onto Daichi’s arm who stiffened and turned to look at the grey haired vampire. 

“Hey. Are you okay?” Suga whispered concernedly. His eyebrows were raised and his eyes shown with care. Daichi blinked his eyes a few times to clear his head. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Daichi’s body relaxed and his gaze sharpened in clarity. “Sorry about that. I must be tired.” Suga didn’t entirely believe Daichi, but he decided he’d let it go for now. 

The grey haired male softly smiled and playfully rolled his eyes. He raised his hand and ruffled the brunettes hair. Daichi swatted the hand away as Suga let out a cheeky chuckle. 

Tooru’s body language suddenly shifted. He had been smelling something...different...for quite a while now and hadn’t realized it was the witch. The smell wasn’t bad, in fact it was very alluring. But it wasn’t Kenma’s normal scent. It actually wasn’t Kenma at all. It was the scent of someone who had come in contact with Kenma. 

All Tooru knew was whoever’s scent that was, smelled delicious. The scent was of daffodils, chestnuts, and sunshine. 

Tooru took strong strides towards the witch, whose back was turned grabbing the potions off the shelf. Kuroo’s eyes narrowed at the advancing vampire. He only jumped into action when the brunette vampire roughly grabbed Kenma’s arms and pulled the smaller witch into his chest. Tooru inhaled deeply this new scent before he was aggressively torn away from the witch. He suddenly had a snarling Kuroo in his face who had positioned himself in between the vampire and the witch. 

Kuroo’s eyes had become slits and his sharp canines were now on full display. Kenma stood still. His eyes wide in shock and his body rigid. He wasn’t entirely scared, but being grabbed by vampire is always alarming. 

Suga tried to mediator by walking up to the stand off. 

“Hey...guys...” Suga wasn’t entirely sure what to say. “Let’s calm down for a second alright?” He placed one hand on each shoulder and immediately got shoved away by both of them. Daichi’s caught him and had to strongly refrain from growling in warning. He figured a growling werewolf wouldn’t help diffuse the situation. Kuroo wasn’t thinking straight due to the effects of the approaching full moon, and Tooru wasn’t backing down for some reason. This confused Suga since Tooru wasn’t one to instigate, unless it concerned Iwaizumi. 

A small hand curled around Kuroo’s bicep. The other laced it’s way around his body to hug his stomach. 

“Kuroo, you need to call down.” Kenma’s voice was barely above a whisper, and was far gentler than Suga and Daichi had ever heard from him. Kenma dropped his hand from Kuroo’s bicep and brought it around the other side of his waist. He pressed his head into Kuroo’s back as he gave him a hug. 

The tension dissipated from Kuroo’s body and he stopped snarling. Kuroo back up slowly from the still agitated Tooru. 

What is wrong with him? Kuroo thought to himself. 

Kuroo glanced at Suga and Daichi who looked concerned and confused. They didn’t know how to diffuse the situation without someone Tooru trusted unconditionally. What they weren’t expecting was a broom to wack Tooru upside the head. This however did seem to do the trick as Tooru no longer seemed out of control. He winced and brought his hand to rub at the spot of impact. He lightly shook his head and looked at the group in confusion. 

Madame Razz was looking sternly at the group. Nobody saw her walk up to them. 

_Maybe it’s a witch thing._ Suga pondered.

“Are you causing trouble in my shop?” Madame Razz did not look happy. This time, Daichi didn’t think she’d immediately bounce back into happiness. 

“No. Sorry Madame Razz. Kenma was just getting us our orders.” Suga gave Madame Razz an apologetic smile. Kenma, who had crept out from behind Kuroo, nodded and turned around to grab the potions—this time not being interrupted by a grabby vampire. The eldest witch still looked suspicious of the group. Nevertheless, she hummed and left, trusting the group not to get in more trouble. 

“Umm sorry about that.” Tooru’s hesitant voice sounded embarrassed as he spoke to Kenma and Kuroo. They both looked at him, still confused about what had transpired. “I don’t know what came over me.” Tooru shuffled his feet and seemed genuinely confused. The entire group, except for Suga, had never really seen Oikawa’s mask break. His honest show of emotion surprised everyone, and convinced them he really didn’t know what he was doing. 

Kenma handed Oikawa the potion who nodded in thanks, raised his hand in goodbye, and quickly left the store. The entire group was even more concerned and baffled by his behavior. 

“I’ll send Iwaizumi a text and ask him to look after Tooru.” Suga muttered softly. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to send the message. Kuroo had his brow furrowed and was still looking in the direction Oikawa went. Kenma handed Daichi his potion who thanked the witch. 

Suga stuffed his phone in his pocket and looked expectantly at the werewolf who stowed the vial into his pocket. Daichi and Suga said their goodbyes and left the store. 

————————————————————————————————————————————

_Well that was awkward._ Suga thought as they left the store.   
  
The pair walked to their parked car in silence. Both lost in thought at what had just happened. Daichi hopped into the driver side with Suga sitting shotgun. They immediately blasted the heat. Frost crept up the sides of the windows and their breath was coming out in visible wisps.

“It was Hinata’s scent.” Daichi stated as he pulled onto the road. Suga raised an eyebrow and looked at the brunette out of the corner of his eye. “His scent was on Kenma.” Suga didn’t have as good a nose as Daichi and he didn’t get close enough to Kenma to smell him. “I don’t know what set Oikawa off, but that was what surprised me.” Suga hummed in contemplation at Daichi’s confession. 

“I’ll send Hinata a text in the morning. See if he needs help unpacking, or groceries or something.” Suga responded to Daichi. The rest of the car ride was spent in silence. Both contemplating the strange occurrences of the day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the chapter. I’m actually not very happy with it, but that’s probably because I’m a bit of a perfectionist. Let me know if you liked it and I’m totally open for constructive criticism. Just be nice please!


	4. Grocery Store Escapades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I think this chapter is going to have to be divided into two parts? I try and make each chapter at least three thousand words, and I have achieved that, but by a very large margin this time. Anyway here is part 1, and I have no idea when the second part will come out. I divided this chapter into 4 sections and this only goes through section 2. I’ve been gone for a while so I kinda felt like I had to post. I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Heads up: I basically just typed and uploaded the last section or two or this chapter so I’m sorry for spelling or grammar mistakes. I want to get this up ASAP and don’t feel like proofreading at the moment. If there are any glaring issues I’ll come back later and update it. 
> 
> BTW there was an Easter egg in the last chapter that I thought was rather obvious but maybe not? I haven’t seen anyone point it out yet, but just a heads Up if your interested. :p (Btw, btw, It’s a video game reference.)

Sunlight filtered through the curtains and into the bedroom. It bounced off the walls and illuminated the sleeping redhead tucked away in blissful serenity. Small tufts of hair poked out from underneath the duvet. His head was cradled by fluffy pillows in a burgundy slip. The duvet shielded his body from view; only an outline of his small form visible. 

The walls were a delicate blue-grey. The furniture in the room was minimal: a bed, a dresser, and a nightstand. Boxes were littered on the floor in an attempt at organization. Hinata had worked hard at unpacking yesterday, but one person can only do so much. The room was bare of any decor, as most rooms in the house were. At least he didn’t have to set up any furniture. IKEA furniture was tangible Hell, packaged in a cardboard box delivered right to your doorstep. 

Last night Hinata had just enough energy to make his bed and throw on some clothes that would work as the night's pyjamas. He had spent most of his time cleaning the cabin, with what minimal cleaning supplies he had, and unpacking the kitchenware. His mother had left him a note of cleaning supplies and household essentials that he needed to buy today. But at the current moment, all Hinata wanted to do was stay in bed. 

The warmth of the blankets was intoxicating. Hinata blearily opened his eyes to the warm glow streaming through his windows. He groaned at the idea of getting out of bed, much preferring the option of sleeping the day away. His mind whispered _stay in bed_ , while his stomach screamed _feed me_! Not to mention that his bladder was in urgent need of relief.

Hinata rolled over and grappled for his phone. The sharp LED lights stung at his eyes as he read the time. 9:37 AM glared at him. His upcoming morning lectures were going to be the death of him. He sighed and sat up. Hinata did some light stretches to wake up his muscles. He cracked his back, rolled his neck, and got out of bed. 

The hardwood floor was icy and it sent pins and needles up his calves. He quickly, and clumsily dashed to his en suite bathroom. The floor was a simple grey tile which complemented the duck-bill grey walls. The bathroom had a double sink with a grey and white marble countertop that matched the tile in the shower. There was a bathtub on the opposite wall of the door. There was a large window on the wall next to the bathtub that looked out into the forest. There was also a skylight directly above the bathtub. 

Hinata wasn’t sure if he liked this floorplan or hated it. What he was sure of was that he needed to buy some curtains for that window. He didn’t exactly expect anyone to be loitering around in his forested backyard, but he didn’t want to run the risk of someone watching him shower. 

After relieving himself, Hinata decided to take a shower. 

_Let’s see if the shower is working._ Hinata thought sardonically. It was his fault he forgot to run the taps for a bit last night. _At least the kitchen sink works._

Hinata opened the glass door and turned on the hot water. At first, nothing happened, Hinata began regretting not checking the bathroom pipes last night, but after about 30 seconds water spurted out of the showerhead and began to run normally. He silently cheered for this mini-victory.

_I don’t have a plumbing issue! Now let's hope the water heater works._

Hinata was savouring the idea of taking a shower. He took off his shirt as he thought about a warm shower to melt away his sleepiness, tired muscles, and a nice soft fluffy towel to wrap himself up in after—TOWEL! Hinata forgot about towels. He groaned at the delay of his shower. He trudged back into his bedroom to rifle through the box labelled ‘bathroom’ to find a towel. His room was colder now than it was five minutes ago, but maybe that was because Hinata was only wearing some boxer-briefs at the moment.

Suddenly, there was a noise that had Hinata halting in his tracks. The noise sounded like a person gasping. Hinata felt his heart had leapt into his throat. He swirled around and tried to find the source of the noise. The room was empty, the house was empty. Hinata was the only occupant in this house—which is what he kept telling himself. _There is no one here._

Hinata tried to brush it off as the pipes acting weird, or the house settling, but Hinata couldn’t shake this feeling of embarrassment. It wasn’t even his own embarrassment. If anything Hinata was feeling scared and uneasy, not embarrassed. Hinata felt as if he had walked in on someone naked or changing—which was ridiculous considering he lived alone. Perhaps more accurately, it felt as if someone had walked in on him. 

Hinata eventually found what he was looking for. He pulled out a big fluffy towel and all but scampered back into the bathroom. By this point, the water had reached a hot temperature and steam had fogged up the glass door and the mirrors on the wall. Hinata shut the door and decided to play some music while showering. The music would be a good distraction from…whatever that was. Hinata hopped in the shower and let the warm water wash away his worries. Until he realized he didn’t have any shampoo, but the little travel container his mother pre-packed for him in his toiletries bag, which was out on the counter. 

_God damnit. What is wrong with me today?!_

Hinata opened the door and tried to grab the shampoo from the bag quickly so as to not get water all over the floor. He rummaged through the bag and latched onto the small container of shampoo. Before turning back around, Hinata looked in the mirror for a brief second. The mirror was steamed up but Hinata could’ve sworn he saw someone standing in the doorway. The redhead whirled around in search of the shadowy figure. There was nothing there. Hinata felt as if ice had settled in his veins. Barely a minute ago Hinata was practically sweating from the heat of the water, now he was shivering in fear and confusion. Hinata was hesitant to turn back around and look in the mirror again. He eventually built up enough courage to look in the mirror again. It was rather anticlimactic but Hinata was honestly relieved. There was nothing in the mirror. 

“hah…” Hinata sighed in relief. He placed his hands on the counter and slumped forward. “…Fuck me...” The redhead breathed out this in a whisper. 

_“If you insist.”_

A voice cheekily whispered into Hinata’s ear, who nearly jumped out of his skin. His head snapped up to look in the mirror—again nothing. His eyes were wide open and a startled expression painted his face. Hinata didn’t have any time to process what had happened as his phone began to ring. The phone rang loudly and it only made him jump again. The name Suga with a yellow heart next to it appeared on Hinata’s phone. Hinata didn’t think it was proper etiquette to answer a call without any pants on, much less any underwear, but he really didn’t want to be alone right now. 

Hinata was still scanning the bathroom as he shakily answered the phone. 

“Hello?” Hinata’s voice was gravely from sleep, but Suga could still hear the anxiety in the small redhead’s voice. 

“Hinata. It’s Suga. Are you okay?” Even though Suga’s voice was laced with concern, his calm tone helped ground Hinata and bring him out of his anxiety. Hinata took a deep breath to calm his nerves. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” Hinata got his breathing under control. He just woke up and was still tired. He felt silly for getting so worked up over an overactive sleep-deprived mind. 

“Are you sure?” Suga still sounded sceptical. Hinata huffed out a laugh.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Hinata must’ve been convincing enough because Suga hummed out an affirmative response.

“Well, I decided to call you cause I’m going grocery shopping and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?” Hinata brightened up at the idea of not having to get lost finding a market. “I figured since you just moved in, you might not have had any time to get groceries.” Hinata was nodding his head as if Suga could see him. Given the current state of his undress, that would’ve been an awkward situation. 

“No, yes, I mean yeah, no—Yes I would like to go with you, and no I haven’t had any time to get groceries!” Halfway through that sentence, Hinata felt like giving up. His words were jumbled and came out in a mess. There was just something about Suga that made Hinata trip over his own tongue. Hinata could hear a chuckle at his word explosion. 

“I’ll text you the location of the grocery store and you can meet me there.” Suga sounded amused. He found Hinata’s tongue contortionist endearing. “How about we meet up in… like half an hour?” Suga questioned the redhead. His voice lifting up at the end of his sentence. 

“Yeah! Let me just finish my shower and get dressed and I’ll meet you there!” Hinata was excited to be spending some time with Suga.

“Great! See you—wait, finish your shower?” Suga sounded confused. 

“Oh! I—nothing no! I—I’ll see you in a like half-hour Suga-san! Okay bye!” Hinata immediately hung up the phone. He always wanted to live a long, happy life, but now he was wishing for an early death. Was he cursed to always embarrass himself in front of gorgeous people? 

_What a great start to the day._ He thought sarcastically. 

The silence had settled in since he got off the phone. Hinata really, really, didn’t have the time, or the energy, to deal with his overactive imagination. He resumed his music and turned the volume way up. Hinata hopped back in the shower, with his shampoo, determined to get on with his day and put away his anxiety.

————————————————————————————————————————————  
  


The redhead wrapped a scarf around his neck and checked his appearance in the visor mirror of his car. He wanted to show Suga he wasn’t always a complete mess, although perhaps today wasn’t the day to do that. 

Hinata self-consciously attempted to fluff his hair and look presentable before exiting the vehicle. The frosty morning air nipped at Hinata’s skin. His hair was damp and his clothes haphazardly thrown on. He had rushed out of the house, not wanting anything else unsettling to happen. 

The market in front of him was of a reasonable size, not very large, but not too small either. Hinata trudged through the sludge in the parking lot as he made his way to the entrance. A man with light grey hair in a black wool coat caught his eye as he approached the store. There Suga was, standing out front in the blistering cold waiting for Hinata. The small redhead felt immensely guilty that he couldn’t even process how handsome Suga looked because of the kind act… Hinata was actually touched. The older male’s outfit was sharp yet approachable, like the kind of guy your grandmother would want you to have.

“Suga-senpai!” Hinata called out to the grey-haired male. 

Suga looked up from his phone at the sound of his name and saw the cutely bundled up redhead quickly walking towards him. Suga gave him a dazzling smile that would’ve taken Hintata’s breath away if he had been paying attention. Hinata’s eyes shown in distress and that instantly wiped the smile off Suga’s face. 

“Hinata. Are you alright?” Suga voiced his concern once Hinata was a few feet from him. Hinata felt awful. He made Suga wait out in the cold for him. So instead of answering, Hinata grabbed the grey-haired males arm and yanked him inside. Even though he was small, Hinata was mighty. He was basically a tiny tank. 

“Suga-san, I’m so sorry for making you wait outside!” Hinata’s eyes were large and pleading. His brows were slanted up and his mouth pinched in a cute pout. Hinata must not have realized, but he still clung to Suga’s arm. Suga had to strongly resist the urge to pinch the redhead’s cheeks. 

“Oh, Hinata.” Suga smiled endearingly at the younger male. “Don’t even worry about me. I chose to wait outside for you.” Suga’s smile was gentle and warmed Hinata’s cheeks. 

“But weren’t you cold?” Hinata questioned the taller male. His eyes roved over Suga’s face in search of a lie. 

“Nah. The cold doesn’t affect me as much as it does other people.” Suga’s confidence quelled some of Hinata’s distress. He still felt guilty but there was a certain relaxing aura around Suga. It felt like a blanket, and since Hinata was a naturally anxious individual, he wished he could always be wrapped up in Suga’s calming blanket embrace.

Hinata was going to argue more before Suga cut him off.

“Come on.” Suga bent his elbow and cradled Hinata’s hands in the crook of his elbow, like a proper gentleman. “Let’s not dawdle any longer.” And with that, Suga led the temporarily speechless Hinata further into the store. 

The market smelled of fresh bread and recently ground coffee beans. There weren’t that many people milling about in the store. Many probably at work or at home not wanting to leave the house. Given the bitterness of the weather, Hinata didn’t blame them.

Hinata was excited to get his shopping done, but that might be because he was absolutely famished. Whoever said don’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach…was probably right—Hinata was compelled to buy anything and everything due to the demands from the tyrant which was his stomach.

————————————————————————————————————————————

Hinata was wishing he never split up with Suga in the first place. They had been walking around the store for a little while now and were nearing the produce section. That was when Suga realized he forgot something and told Hinata to go on ahead. Suga would meet back up with him later. 

Hinata had been investigating veggies and fruits of all sorts. He was trying to copy what his mother would do when she analyzed produce, and while Hinata was sure he was getting the movements right, he had absolutely no idea what he was looking for. 

_How long do I look at this fruit before it...becomes?...just right?_ Hinata questioned in his mind. _What was she looking for?!_

Eventually he just started grabbing produce and mindlessly hucking it into his cart. This random grabbing and chucking is what brought him to inadvertently steal another person’s leek. While this was more of a minor incident, and not a mortal sin against that person’s family, it was most certainly embarrassing. 

_What a wonderful way to introduce yourself to a stranger Shouy—oh my god he’s cute!_ Hinata felt his cheeks flush and his eyes widen. 

The man in front of him had short light grey hair with black tips. His eyes were a cool brown with deep swirls of chocolate, firewood, and stability. He was wearing a dark brown military jacket, a maple bergamot sweater, and dark blue jeans. His face was devoid of emotion—a true neutral. Hinata wasn’t entirely sure how to engage with this man.

Kita was on an errand for his grandmother that morning. They were in need of some basic groceries such as eggs, bread, and produce. He didn’t particularly want to leave the house that morning, but his grandmother insisted the fruits and vegetables would be particularly good that day. He gave up trying to understand her witchy intuition a long time ago. 

Kita was milling around the produce section investigating the root vegetables. He had to admit, they looked quite promising today. He reached to grab a leek and instead grabbed a person's hand. The hand was soft, and small, and fit quite nicely in Kita’s hand. Kita had to repress his instinctive urge to squeeze that person's hand. 

The hand was quickly retracted and the owner of said hand stuttered out an apology. Kita turned to look at the person apologizing to him. It was a male, seemingly only a year or two younger than him, with vibrant tangerine hair. The aura around this male was warm and blinding, like the sun. The human tangerine was doing nothing but looking bashful, and yet Kita still thought he glowed like starlight. 

“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention and just grabbed it.” The sun child gestured to the leek. His voice was the sound of laughter and leaves rustling on the forest floor in springtime. Kita was mesmerized by the halo of gold in the pumpkin and cherry blossom irises of the man’s eyes. 

The man shrugged and grabbed the leek, handing it to Hinata. 

“Don’t worry about it. No harm done.” The man’s voice was smooth and velvety. It was almost hypnotizing. The man outstretched his hand, “My name is Kita Shinsuke, pleasure to meet you.” Hinata grasped Kita’s hand. The handshake was firm but not crushing. 

“Hinata Shouyou. Nice to meet you.” This greeting danced on a fine line between casual and formal. Considering this meeting started over a root vegetable made any formal elements seem strange and silly. 

_Why shake a man’s hand after grabbing his leek?...Wait...no, that sounds wro—nevermind! Don’t think about it Shouyou!_ Hinata had to resist the urge to grimace at his stupidly embarrassing thoughts.

Kita could smell Suga before he saw him. Suga, like most vampires, had a woody scent paired with something sharp like mint. Kitsune’s, like most shifters, are territorial and possessive. For some reason, that Kita couldn’t quite comprehend, his inner Fox was urging him to be protective of Hinata. Kita was a naturally nurturing person so he chalked it up to his protective instincts being heightened around the full moon. Besides, Hinata seemed so innocent, naive, and...breakable. That last part scared Kita.

“Hinata!” The charming voice of Suga brought both men back to the present. Hinata realized their hands were still clasped in embrace and quickly extracted his hand. Kita was left saddened at the loss of contact. 

Suga strolled up to the two men with a vibrant but tight smile, hiding his suspicion. Suga trusted Kita, he really did, but shifters can never be fully trusted nearing a full moon—not even the most disciplined and strong willed. 

“Kita-san it’s good to see you! How have you been?” Suga walked up next to Hinata and placed his hand on the small of his back. Hinata would normally feel uncomfortable if a person he just met did this, but with Suga, he was surprisingly comfortable with the action. Hinata tried to rationalize in his mind that Suga didn’t really know what he was doing, it was probably a reflex. 

That cheeky son of a bitch vampire knew exactly what he was doing. Suga wasn’t technically trying to claim Hinata, but more or less dissuade Kita from claiming Hinata. 

_I’m doing this purely for Hinata’s protection._ Suga told himself. _I have no selfish reasons behind touching him. None at all._

**insert meme of _“Sure Jan”_ **

“It’s good to see you too Sugawara-san.” Kita nodded politely at the other grey haired male. “I have been good. Tired lately, but good.” Suga nodded as he listened to Kita. He shuffled a little bit closer to Hinata, who was looking up at him in embarrassing contentment. 

Suga could feel Hinata’s breath ghostly brushing against his neck. A sensation went down Suga’s spine that made him feel almost feral. Suga would never, ever, hurt Hinata...but perhaps a little pain filled pleasure wouldn’t be too bad.   
  


————————————————————————————————————————————

The two had said their goodbyes to Kita and carried on with their shopping. The tension between the two older males was strange to the redhead. Hinata had a cart full with a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, meats and fish, dairy of all kinds, a plethora of breads and bakery goods, pantry necessities, cleaning supplies, and household essentials. Sug had a similarly full cart. He explained to Hinata that since he lived with Daichi, who ate more than almost anyone he knew, they did one big grocery hall once a month—that way they didn’t have to make weekly trips, and could run in and grab something when they needed to. 

Suga was easy to talk to and comfortable to be around. He made Hinata feel as if they had been friends for years even though they just met. Hinata was a bit confused at Suga’s attitude change when talking with Kita. The tension between the two was strange to the redhead. Hinata thought it was a shame he didn’t get to talk with Kita more. There was something so hypnotic about the grey and black haired male. Kita seemed mysterious and that intrigued Hinata. Hinata wished he had gotten Kita’s number, but he figured since it was a small town they were bound to run into each other again. Or he could just ask Suga for it, since the two seemed familiar. 

“Wanna go grab a coffee before we leave?” Suga asked Hinata as the two approached the cafe that was next to the registers. Hinata had been smelling the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee since he walked in the store. By this point he was practically desperate for a cup. 

“Whats your favorite drink? Is there something you recommend? How’s their food? Do they sell any breakfast sandwiches? What about chocolate? Do they have anything chocolate? Or meat! What about the meat!” Hinata nodded enthusiastically as he bombarded Suga with questions about the food and beverages available at the cafe. 

Suga suddenly reconsidered his offer of giving this hyper-energetic human caffeine. 

Nishinoya was falling asleep on his feet. It was a slow morning in the cafe. So slow, in fact, that it made the snail pace drip coffee seem like roadrunner instant coffee. 

Normally around the full moon Noya was bouncing with even more energy than usual. Yesterday, Daichi didn’t even need to ask if he and Tanaka needed to run off their excess energy—they just showed up at his house ready to go. After their run Noya was finally able to fall asleep peacefully. Restlessness was the most difficult symptom for Noya to deal with. 

His mid-morning shift, however, felt like it was going to be the death of him. The atmosphere in the cafe would be calm and soothing to most, but to Noya the slow pace was maddening. It was only when he heard the commotion of customers did he perk back up. Suga was entering into the cafe along with someone he had never met before. 

  
The male walking next to Suga was speaking animatedly. His hair was as bright as an orange highlighter. His eyes were a giggling auburn and playful daffodils. The man’s scent had Noya’s mouth watering, which was surprising since only Asahi’s scent did that to him. The man smelled of daisies, toasted almonds, and a summer sunset.   
  


Noya was now vibrating with a different kind of energy.

“Suga-san!” Noya called out, suddenly replenished with energy. He smiled brightly at the approaching pair. His outburst seemed to have stopped the redhead from continuing to question the gray-haired male—which was something Suga seemed immensely grateful for. 

“Nishinoya-kun.” Suga greeted him with a smile. “How have you been?” The man behind Suga waited patiently to be introduced. It was only polite to allow the friends to greet each other first. 

“I’ve been great! Anyways who’s your friend?!” Noya quickly turned to the man in question, who seemed a bit shocked at the rapid change in conversation.

_So much for pleasantries._ Suga thought dryly. 

“This is Hinata Shouyou. Hinata, this is Nishinoya Yuu.” Suga gestured back and forth between the two as he introduced them to one another. 

“My friends call me Noya!” Suga didn’t think it was possible but Noya’s smile got even brighter. His exuberance seemed to initially take Hinata by surprise. Well, he had just met Kita, so the drastic change in personality would be startling. But that initial shock seemed to fade as Hinata almost began to sparkle, matching Noya’s level of excitement. Suga didn’t know if he should be happy about this development, or if he should regret ever allowing these two balls of endless energy to meet. 

“It’s good to meet you Noya-san!” Hinata exclaimed exuberantly. Noya felt like he was going to melt into a puddle at the use of honorifics attached to his name. He liked this guy. 

For the rest of the time the two were in the cafe Suga metaphorically sat back and observed the interactions between Noya and Hinata. The boisterous duo chatted about anything and everything in what seemed like hours, but was only about ten minutes. It took longer for Noya to get their drinks since he was conversing non-stop with Hinata. They were lucky there were no other customers in the cafe. Suga was glad Hinata was making friends, but he did secretly wish he had Hinata’s full attention. It was addicting. 

It took a bit of convincing, but Suga was eventually able to pull Hinata out of the cafe. He had to remind the tangerine that they still had to pay for their groceries. This brought Hinata back to his senses, but he only left the cafe after he had gotten Noya’s number and made him promise to hang out with Hinata some time. Noya gave Suga a cheeky smile as the two left the cafe. It wasn’t a competition, but Noya felt as if he had won something.   
  


————————————————————————————————————————————

The wind sharply bit at them as they exited the store. Hinata and Suga wheeled their carts into the parking lot, as they were unable to carry all of their groceries by hand. Hinata had forgotten how freezing it truly was outside. 

No wonder the store was so empty. Hinata mused. Who would want to be out in this weather?

His question was immediately answered in the form of a runner. Hinata studied the man, as he was perplexed as to what had possessed this man to go running in this weather. 

The first thing Hinata noticed about the man was his muscles. This man was BUILT. There was no other way to say it. He was a little but taller than Suga, but looked far more serious and intimidating. Hinata was reminded of Daichi, if Daichi never smiled and was always serious. 

His dark brown hair was spiky, but it still bounced as he ran. The muscles in his legs contracted with each step propelling him forward. He was wearing lightweight yet warm athletic wear. The clothing clung to some parts of him, and flowed freely in other places. He seemed only to be passing through the parking lot, but when he made eye contact with Hinata he slowed to a stop. 

“Iwaizumi-san!” Suga called out and waved to the man. Hinata looked to Suga who was smiling in recognition. 

_Apparently Suga knows everyone in this town._ Hinata thought bemusedly. 

The man jogged over the two. As he got closer Hinata was able to make out more of his features. His skin was a blonde caramel and his eyes were a sparkling jade. Sweat glistened on his forehead and his breath came out in deep exhales. Even haggard with sweat and tiredness, this man still looked like a greek god. 

_Why are there so many gorgeous people in this town?_ Hinata speculated dryly. _It’s not fair._

Hinata wasn’t really upset at the eye-candy, he just felt more aware of his own insecurities. If only he knew how many people thought he was the gorgeous one.

“Sugawara.” The man nodded politely as he walked up to the pair. 

“Hinata, allow me to introduce you to Iwaizume Hajime.” The man turned to Hinata and nodded his head in greeting again. 

“Nice to meet you Iwaizumi-san!” Hinata tried to sound energetic, but with the freezing cold his voice came out jittery. Suga and Iwaizumi picked up Hinata’s shivering and a non-verbal conversation happened between the two in mere seconds.

_He’s human._

_Yes._

_Did you forget humans are actually effected by the cold?_

_…No…maybe…don’t patronize me!_

“Here, let me help you with your groceries.” Iwaizumi offered to Hinata. Not only was Hinata surprised by this but so was Suga. The two literally just met, but Iwaizumi seemed adamant to get the sun child out of the cold as soon as possible. Suga could pick up on Iwaizumi’s subtle clues…Hinata?…not so much. 

“Oh, um sure. If you want—but you don’t have to!” Hinata didn’t want Iwaizumi to feel as if he had to help him. Iwaizumi cracked a barely-there smile, shook his head and shrugged.

“Come on.” He grabbed the cart from Hinata, waved a respectful goodbye to Suga, and began walking in the direction that he hoped Hinata’s car was in. Luckily, it was. 

“Oh! Well thank you for grocery shopping with me Suga-san! I’ll see you again soon yeah?” Hinata asked as he slowly walked backwards. He was still a bit in shock at what had just happened, but decided to go with it. Because what was Hinata going to do? Handsome strong man offers to help him with his groceries, what was he going to say? No? No! Obviously not!

“Absolutely Hinata!” Suga smiled happily. “Send me a text so I know you got home okay?” Suga’s sweet sentiment made butterflies bloom in Hinata’s stomach.

“I will! Bye Suga!” Hinata yelled to Suga as he turned and hurried after Iwaizumi.

“Bye Hinata!” Suga called after Hinata. He was content with the time he had spent with Hinata, and with the fact that he just made sure he’d see Hinata again. **Internal Happy Dance!!**

Hinata eventually caught up with Iwaizumi and led him to his car. Hinata offered to take the cart back but Iwaizumi just asked for Hinata to just lead the way to his car. This chivalrous action was cute and endearing to Hinata. He prided himself on being independent, but maybe just this once it would be okay to not do everything by himself. 

As they arrived at the car Hinata unlocked the trunk and the two began unpacking the cart. The outside cart stall holder thingy (whatever you call it!) was next to where Hinata had parked, so that would be an easy drop off. 

They talked a little as they unloaded the cart. Iwaizumi asked if Hinata was new to town and Hinata replied that he was. That was basically the entire conversation. Hinata was learning that Iwaizumi was a man of few words. Hinata went to go turn the car on and get the heat running as Iwaizumi unloaded the last few bags. 

When Hinata walked back to close the trunk, he noticed Iwaizumi had written his number on one of the cars frosted windows.

“In case you ever need something.” Iwaizumi explained. “I’m sorry to leave so quickly, but I have to keep my heart rate up.” Iwaizumi slowly backed up preparing to get back to jogging. 

“Oh yeah I totally get it.” Hinata nodded in understanding—or his attempt at an understanding nod, since he truly didn’t understand why anybody would be running in freezing weather! “Thanks again for helping me with my groceries!” Hinata gave Iwaizumi a brilliant smile, even though his nose felt as if it was going to fall off.

Iwaizumi cracked a smile, waved at Hinata, and began to run again. Hinata watched him run away before thinking of something.

“I’ll see you again right Iwaizumi!?” Hinata yelled after Iwaizumi. The aforementioned man turned around and smiled—the biggest smile Hinata had seen from him—at Hinata and nodded. Hinata was a bit stunned. He didn’t think he’d get to see that man smile! But he was quite happy that he did. 

Hinata quickly entered the number into his phone and put the cart away. He hopped into the car, that was slowly starting to heat up, and brought up the maps app on his phone. Because of course he had forgotten how to get home.

_Thank you modern technology!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers! First of all thank you for reading, commenting, leaving kudos, etc.! I read every comment I get and try to respond to as many as possible. The comments always make me smile and encourage me to write more! Some parts of this chapter I like, other parts not so much. I’m sorry this chapter ends at a weird point. We will be picking up from here (approximately) in the next chapter. 
> 
> Happy thanksgiving to my American friends! Dinner is my responsibility this year so I’m going to be very busy with that this Thursday. And then my finals week is the second week in December so I’m going to be very very busy for the next two and a half weeks. But then I get five weeks off so I’ll definitely have chapters coming out more frequently. I’ll aim for one chapter a week. I hope you all can wait until then for some kind of update? Maybe I can get one posted sooner but probably not. 
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> Thanks again to my lovely beta! @Ezra_Pearl💛


	5. Aw Shit, Here We Go Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Long time no see fam. Here’s chapter 5? Part two of chapter 4? I don’t even know anymore. I had a plan for the second half of chapter four when I posted the first half, but things didn’t go as planned. So anyway here’s—whatever this is. :) Also there’s an Easter egg in this chapter, it relates to horror films.

Hinata was jumping out of his skin. He was beyond jittery. It was as if every nerve in his body was firing all at once. After spending an hour and thirty two minutes tossing and turning in bed, he had had enough. Hinata jumped out of bed and threw on some work out gear. He grabbed his phone and some headphones and left the cabin. 

The night air bit his skin and nipped at his lungs. The snow fall had lightened up to a soft flurry. Snowflakes listlessly drifted in the air. It was as if Hinata had just walked into a photo. The night was still and silent and dead. The only thing that seemed to be moving was Hinata, who was slowly jogging down the road. His day had started out strange...he supposed it only made sense for the day to end strange as well. 

_\---------------------------------Back to that morning----------------------------------------_

Hinata had a delirious smile on his face as he reentered his cabin. He had met some really nice people today and he might’ve even made some new friends! Moving out to Black-Ridge had been a risk; a risk his mother wasn't too sure would pay off. Initially Hinata had been 110% sure of his decision. But, right before the move, some doubt had crept into Hinata’s mind. Today, however, was a small bit of the reassurance Hinata needed, that he did in fact make the right decision. 

Deep down, Hinata knew he needed this change. His life had become stagnant. There were too many memories back home. Not all of them bad, not even a majority; but enough. The memories, the emotions, they were suffocating him. But being out in Black-Ridge--even for this short period of time--Hinata felt as if he could finally breathe. 

Hinata shut the front door with his foot after bringing the last bag of groceries inside. Shrugging off his coat he got to work on organizing the kitchen. Just because he was a bit of a scatterbrain didn't mean he wasn’t going to know where his _cinnamon toast crunch_ was when he needed it at three in the morning. 

Hinata began blasting some music as he worked--as per usual. He didn't understand people who could only work in silence. His brain would fill the silence, and sometimes, he just wanted to turn his brain off. And music could do that. His playlist ranged from Beetlejuice’s _Say My Name_ , to Queen’s _Somebody to Love_ , to Corpse’s _Miss YOU!_ Needless to say, his playlist was a rollercoaster. 

After putting away the groceries he began deep cleaning the other parts of the house he couldn't do the day before, considering he didn't have the cleaning products. _I Was Made For Lovin’ You_ by Kiss began playing as he was sweeping the kitchen floor. This is just one of those songs you can't help but jam out to. So that's exactly what Hinata did. 

Hinata began jumping around his kitchen like a bunny hopped up on methamphetamines. Singing into the handle of the broom like his life depended on it, Hinata was gyrating his hips and wiggling his butt to the tempo. Overall, it was cute, kind of weird, and chaotic--the best combination. 

The show, that Hinata didn't know he was putting on, was quite entertaining to the invisible spectators. 

_I would’ve assumed you’d be too embarrassed to be in the same room with him again?_ This voice was dry and sarcastic. It was an arrogant and teasing monotone. 

_I liked the music._ This voice sounded like how hugging a stuffed animal would feel--warm and soft. 

_And you couldn't listen from a room over? Hell, you could listen from the other side of the house._

_I--Yeah well what's your excuse for coming in here?_

_I just wanted to enjoy the show._

_Like you didn’t get a good look this morning._

_You’re one to talk._

_I didn't walk in on him showering! That was all you. Why’d you do that anyway? I was embarrassed, you heard the water running---you're smart enough to put two and two together._

_I wanted to see what all the fuss was about._

_You’re incorrigible._

Even if the music wasn't playing at max volume, these voices would be imperceptible, unless they wanted to be heard. The two beings were clearly comfortable around one another. They had a rapport similar to old friends. The battle of wits was teasing but never scathing, and always held an air of affection for one another.

_When was the last time you went dancing?_ There was an undertone of nostalgia in the first being's voice. 

_Well, it was sometime when I was alive…._ There was a teasing lilt in the second being’s voice.

_Ah--makes sense_. 

_But other than that...not sure. Why?_

_Come on._ Hands, unable to be seen by the human eye, were clasped together as the first being led the second out onto the kitchen turned dance floor. Hinata was none the wiser as two ghostly beings danced along with him to Queen, Ashnikko, and AJR.

The songs on his playlist had slowed. Hinata swayed to the gentle vocals and instrumentals of James Blake’s  _ Are You Even Real_ _._ He wasn’t paying much attention to his surroundings. His eyes were closed as he swayed his hips, basking in the melody. 

At first, the delicate pressure on his hips didn’t break him out of his thoughts. It wasn’t until the pressure molded into the shape of hands did Hinata snap out of his daze. Whirling around, the pressure vanished, but the tension in the air was still palpable. Hinata felt as if he was breathing in static—the electricity in the air was crackling and fizzling with unseeable life.    
  


Then, something even stranger happened. Someone--something--exhaled in his face. He heard the sigh; felt the puff of air dance from the bridge of his nose down across his cheeks. Hinata felt his heart stop.

Grabbing his phone and throwing on his coat, Hinata made a mad dash to the front door. The unnerving events that happened earlier this morning came flooding back to his mind. Would it have been a weird question to ask Suga if he believed in ghosts? Probably. 

Hinata shuffled down the porch steps and nearly slipped on the ice. His breathing was erratic and bordering on panic. He felt as if his heart was beating out of his chest. 

Hinata quickly looked around and hurried down the first path he saw. It wasn't the smartest plan, but in his nervous state--logic be damned.

The trail was covered in a soft cushion of snow. Tree roots were growing out of the ground and creating a viney, craggly path. He had no idea where he was going...but he was going. Hinata had been meaning to go on a hike along one of these trails--preferably with someone who knew these trails well, or a map; but beggars can't be choosers. And at that moment, Hinata was begging to be anywhere but in that cabin. 

He held onto nearby trees and ducked under low hanging branches as he traversed further into the woods. Hinata didn't know if he should try and make sense of what had happened back in that house, or if he should just forget about it and move on. Somehow, Hinata didn't think he'd be able to forget about all the strange occurrences, no matter how hard he tried. 

Hearing voices, seeing strange apparitions, feeling hands and puffs of breath from seemingly nothing...none of it made any sense. The voices from the previous evening he could chalk up to sleep deprivation. He could even argue that whatever he saw this morning was the makings of a tired mind still waking up from a groggy void. But this; the feeling of hands on him, the feeling of someone breathing on him--he couldn't find an explanation for that. Hinata didn’t know if he even wanted an explanation.

These thoughts plagued his mind as he walked. Hinata didn't always enjoy the quietness of nature. The hustle and bustle of the city matched his internal tempo; upbeat and always moving. He understood the city, and the city seemed to understand him. It wasn't until he got a bit older did he see the importance of finding a quiet place to just exist. 

Being out in nature gave him time to leave an overactive-overcrowded environment, and settle his overactive-overcrowded mind. His mind never stopped thinking, working through problems, voicing anxieties, bringing up embarrassing memories--it just never stopped. But being out in nature, finding a place that seemed void of any movement, allowed him to realize that if a quiet place--a peaceful place existed, then his mind could also find peace. And peace was what Hinata needed at that moment.

Off to his right there was a break in the treeline. There was a lookout point with a clear view of the lake further away and a ravine directly below. The ravine wasn’t exceptionally deep, but a fall from this height would most certainly hurt, or even break something. A boulder was nestled against the trees nearest the overhang, but far enough away from the ledge that Hinata wasn't worried about tipping forward and somersaulting down the cliff. 

He wiped off as much snow as he could, and then popped a squat. The rock was cold and uncomfortable, but it was as good of a chair as Hinata was going to get. Closing his eyes and breathing deeply, Hinata attempted to calm his heart, mind, and stomach.   
  


He didn’t know how long he sat there, but the crunching of snow alerted Hinata to movement from down below. Normally, noise in a forest wouldn’t be cause to alert Hinata, but this noise was...wrong. It sounded clumsy and disjointed. He opened his eyes and stood up, peering over the edge of the ravine. 

A wolf, with toasted blonde fur, was walking around as if it was inebriated. Except, the wolf wasn't drunk, though it did appear to be injured. A red tinge to the wolf’s fur could be seen from where Hinata was. After stumbling a few more feet the wolf finally collapsed and didn’t seem to be getting up any time soon. 

Hinata felt deep worry for the animal. He was a believer in every life having intrinsic value, so the idea of watching an animal suffer and not doing anything was not something that crossed Hinata’s mind. He immediately took out his phone to look up a wildlife care center; only to realize he didn’t have any service. He should’ve known service was spotty out in the woods, he just assumed he would’ve had to go deeper for him to lose it. Apparently not. 

Tucking his phone back into his pocket he gazed back over the ledge at the wolf. He couldn’t just do nothing. After a moment of staring at the injured animal he made up his mind; Hinata was going to help this animal, fuck the danger--well okay not that, he was still going to be safe. (Be safe kids. Disclaimer: do not approach wild animals, be respectful and shit.) 

Hinata rushed back to his cabin as clumsily as he possibly could. When he was nervous he seemed to lose control of his limbs. It didn’t take him long to get back to his cabin and when he walked up the porch steps he hesitated. His moment of hesitation didn't last long as the guilt of not helping the animal outweighed his fear. 

He threw open the door, rushed in and ripped open his fridge. He grabbed one of the packages of meat he had bought this morning and placed it on the counter. Hinata then rushed to his bathroom and riffled through one of the boxes until he found his first-aid kit. Grabbing the kit, Hinata rushed back through the cabin, grabbed the meat, and practically flew out of the house. 

Hinata tripped and tumbled his way back down the path. He must’ve been very lucky when he was walking on this path previously because it was covered in thin layers of ice--just enough to be slippery, but crack under your weight. Once he got back to the overhang he peaked back over the ledge to see if the wolf was still there--it was. 

Now this was the difficult, and dangerous, part. He had to somehow trapeze his way down the cliff, without falling and seriously injuring himself, while also not startling the wolf into running off. But he also didn't want to sneak up on the animal in case it got defensive thinking he was a predator. Although, with his small stature, he probably didn’t have to worry about being mistaken for a threat to the wolf. 

With much trepidation, he mentally mapped out his path down the cliff. It mostly consisted of rock climbing, amature parkour, and luck. He sat down on the ledge and tossed the meat and first-aid kit to the ledge below him. The wolf did not stir. Hinata did not know if that was a good sign or a very bad sign. He scooted so that his legs hung over the side of the ledge and reached for the nearest tree. Grabbing onto the thin trunk, he shimmied his way down to the first ledge below him. 

Once his feet were reunited with the ground, Hinata let out a deep breath. 

_Great, okay. I just have to do that, like four more times. Fan-fucking-tastic._ Hinata internally grumbled. 

The process repeated itself; Hinata would toss the kit and the meat to the closest ledge below, he would then shimmy his way down to that ledge, breathe a sigh of relief, thank whatever deity that was looking out for him, and repeat. 

The last drop was about five and a half feet from the ground. Hinata dropped his packages to the floor of the ravine and nervously made the jump. It wasn't much of a jump, more of a drop and a plop...but he made it!

  
The wolf hasn't moved an inch since he left it, and the red stain seemed to have grown. The good news was that Hinata could still see the wolf’s chest rising and falling with each breath. Hinata carefully stood up and began to make a bit of noise. He began whistling softly and stepping in place to alert the wolf. Nothing. No movement or change in breathing patterns. 

“Um, hello?” Hinata tried to keep his voice level. “Mister Wolf, Sir? You okay buddy?” He took small steps towards the wolf. He hadn't realized from all the way at the top of the ravine just how massive this wolf truly was. But boy, was he a biggin’. 

He got within six feet of the animal when the wolf’s ears perked up and opened its eyes. The wolf let out a snarl and bared its teeth at Hinata. Other than this threat-display the wolf didn’t move at all. Hinata stopped advancing and took a few steps back. He grabbed the kit and the meat package and crouched down to the wolf’s level. 

“Okay, hey dude. I’m not gonna hurt you, just wanna clean that cut for you.” Hinata had no idea what he was doing. What compelled him to approach this animal, he didn't know. Well, he did know...it was his goddamn empathy. Why couldn't he have been born a stone cold bastard? 

The wolf for the most part seemed uninterested and didn’t waver in its posturing. That was, until Hinata placed the package of meat in front of him. That seemed to catch its attention. 

“Listen dude, let me clean your cut. Not only do you get protection from a bacterial infection, but you also get a free lunch. It’s--” Hinata glanced down at what package he grabbed--a sirloin steak!--this wolf better fucking enjoy this. “--It’s sirloin!” Hinata tried to sound convincing, while also holding back his jealousy at this wild animal eating HIS steak--It's fine he could just buy another one.

Something must've convinced the wolf because it stopped snarling and looked up at Hinata with its attempt at pleading eyes. The eyes looked demanding while attempting to be soft and puppy-like. Yeah...the puppy eyes didn't work very well, but the wolf got the steak anyway so whatever. 

Hinata poked his finger through the package and tossed the wolf the steak. The wolf caught it midair and had a look of triumph. 

“Okay so while your mouth is busy with that, I’m gonna clean you up.” Hinata slowly maneuvered his way to sitting in front of the wolf. It didn't seem to mind him as it was going IN on that steak. He took some wet wipes out of the kit and began to clear the dried blood from the wolf’s fur. From far away the fur looked a mix between blonde and a soft ochre. Up close Hinata could see streaks of black fur running through the blonde tresses. 

Hinata parted the fur to get a better look at the cut. He expected it to be far worse, but it was merely a flesh wound. The cut wasn’t too deep and probably didn’t require stitches--which was good because Hinata did not have the ability to stitch somebody up. The blood was already clotting and Hinata really didn't have much to do but disinfect the surrounding area, as close to the cut as the wolf would allow, and apply a bandage. 

_Maybe that's why the wolf was so lenient with me? He wasn't really as injured as he seemed--did I just get played!?_ Hinata could feel his left eye begin to twitch. 

“Whatever. I’m doing the right thing. Let's just get this over with--” A growl cut him off mid- sentence. “Oh sorry about that dude--” Hinata looked at the wolf he was helping only to find him still munching on that steak. A growl sounded again, only this time, Hinata could pinpoint that it was coming from behind him. 

Hinata bunched his shoulders up to his ears and slowly turned around. 

The wolf behind him was only slightly bigger than the one in front of him. It had dark brown, almost black, fur and eyes greener than the Caspian Sea.

There was something oddly familiar about this wolf--which was quite possibly one of the strangest things Hinata had ever thought. But there was something Hinata recognized in this wolf, and strange enough, the wolf seemed to recognize him too. 

“Oh you’re a big boy.” Hinata could’ve sworn he heard the blonde wolf chuff similar to a laugh. The wolf in front of him however did not seem very amused. At this point Hinata was basically asking for death. 

Green orbs gazed into his soft amber ones. The wolf then advanced on him until it was a few mere inches from Hinata’s face. The growling and menacing look had stopped, now only curiosity remained in the wolf’s gaze. 

It began sniffing Hinata, subtly at first and then very not subtly. The wolf pushed its cold nose into Hinata’s neck and at that moment Hinata thought he was dead, but he wasn’t. Hinata could’ve sworn he felt the wolf nuzzle into his neck before it pulled away and did the same thing to the other side of Hinata’s neck. 

Hinata was very confused. He didn't know much about wolves but he was pretty sure this wasn't normal behavior. The wolf finally let up on his sniffing assault on Hinata’s neck. Hinata has never wished harder for the ability to tuck his head into his body like a turtle before.

The dark wolf backed off and gave Hinata another glance before trotting around to the blonde wolf. He lightly nipped the blonde wolf’s hindquarters and growled at him. Hinata assumed this was wolf lingo for _‘Get off your ass bro!’_

The blonde wolf huffed and rolled onto its feet. He dropped the partially eaten steak and gave Hinata a lick on the cheek in a show of gratitude. He then picked his treat back up and walked off further into the ravine away from Hinata. The dark wolf gave Hinata one final glance and trotted after the blonde. 

Of all the strange things that had happened that day, Hinata figured this interaction had to take first place. 

He sat there in the ravine for a moment stunned at what had just transpired and partially questioning if all of this was actually real. But it was. Hinata still had the empty meat container and the wet wipes covered in dried blood. 

“Well. That was an...experience.” Hinata was still processing everything. He gazed down at his first-aid kit and then back up at the ravine he scaled. “Great, all I have to do now is...find a way...back up...Wow I did not think this through.” That eye twitch from earlier suddenly developed into a full blown tension headache at the prospect of having to climb back up. Hinata wasn’t strong enough to climb back up the ravine on his own, and he didn’t know the woods well enough to find a new path. “This is going to be a long walk back.” Hinata sighed in defeat. 

  
Hinata’s day had progressed normally once he got back home. He was too cold and too tired to care about anything spooky going on in the cabin. He figured he could survive one more night and then he’d call Kenma, he seemed like he’d know what to do. 

_\---------------------------------Back to that evening-----------------------------------------_   
  


Hinata couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened during the day. He tried to clear his mind in an attempt to fall asleep. It was ultimately fruitless seeing as how Hinata was currently running around his neighborhood at night. It wasn’t too late, only around 10pm, but no one was out. 

After the interaction in the forest Hinata didn’t particularly want to leave the house--especially at night--but he was just too keyed up, too full of energy, to fall asleep. Since he didn’t want to explore another wooded path at night he decided to jog on the street. 

Every once in a while there would be a lamppost illuminating a small section of the road. Most of the time, however, Hinata could only see due to the light of the moon. The air was still, yet bitingly cold. There was no breeze to sway the trees, no leaves rustling, no animal scampering across the forest floor. Perhaps it was just left over anxiety from what had happened this afternoon, but Hinata had an unnerving feeling bubbling in his stomach. 

The trees alongside the road had grown denser, with fewer and fewer houses the further he jogged. Hinata hadn’t expelled nearly as much energy as he wanted to, but he suspected he should turn around soon. 

From further down the road a dark shadow emerged from the trees. It was cloaked in shadows. Dark and swirling wisps of inky blackness bled off the creature. It had four legs and appeared to stand at roughly 4 feet tall. It resembled a canine, yet its fluid movements resembled something from the feline family. The creature was far too large to be a fox, and was even bigger than the wolves he saw earlier in the day. 

The fur rippled and whirled in waves as if tousled by the wind. In that moment, the world was deadly silent. All that could be heard was Hinata panting as he continued jogging down the road. Hinata was paying attention to where his feet were landing, to make sure he didn't slip on the ice. Eventually he looked up and made eye contact with two large glowing red eyes. Hinata came to such a sharp stop that he skidded on the ice and landed on his ass. 

The animal regarding him cooly, never breaking his gaze. It was as if the animal was sizing him up, trying to see if Hinata was friend or foe. The animal subtly sniffed the air and cocked its head. As the animal began taking slow strides towards Hinata a man excited the woods from the same spot the creature had previously. 

“Tendo!” The man called out. The animal perked its head up and turned to look over his shoulder at the man. Its tail started to wag and with each flick of its tail tiny wisps of smoke beaded off and dissolved into the night air. Hinata thought nothing else could shock him after what he had experienced earlier that day, apparently he was wrong. 

The man jogged over to the animal, which was still a few paces away from Hinata, and gave the animal a quick scratch behind the ears. The man then turned his full attention to Hinata, who was still in the position he landed in. The man began to walk over to him and the animal followed. Hinata attempted to back up and stand but he kept slipping on the ice underneath him. 

“Are you okay?” The man asked cautiously. The closer he got the more Hinata could distinguish his features. He was quite tall with olive brown hair poking out from under his fleece running hat. His eyes were a similar shade of green-brown to his hair. A swampy camo, if you will. His frame was muscular, and staring up at him made Hinata feel very, very small. 

Once he reached Hinata he extended his hand to help the redhead up. Hinata cautiously accepted the helping hand. The grip was firm and unwaveringly solid. 

“Uh--thank you. Yes, I’m okay. Your...dog just startled me is all.” Hinata looked down at the animal, which was staring right back at him. Hinata could’ve sworn those eyes were glowing not too long ago, now they looked utterly normal. Matter of fact, everything about this dog now seemed normal. The fur looked like fur, not tendrils of balck smoke, and its movements were in accordance now with how a normal dog would move. 

The man looked down at his dog in surprise. As if wondering, how could my dog scare anyone? 

“Oh. Sorry about that. Perhaps you should pay better attention to your surroundings.” The man suggested. Normally, Hinata would be put off by a stranger's rudeness, but there was only genuine friendly concern in this man’s gaze, and that made Hinata consider that this man was just trying to offer good advice. 

“You’re new here aren't you?” The man asked quizzically. 

“Yeah. Just moved here yesterday. How’d you know?” Hinata responded inquisitively. The dog had not stopped staring at him, and it was quite unsettling for Hinata. 

“I know most of the runners in this area and I haven't seen you before.” Hinata nodded his head agreeing with the man’s logical deduction. “Also I don’t think I would forget someone with such bright hair.” Hinata cracked a smile at the man’s blunt honesty. 

“You know, you really shouldn’t be out running this late.” The man’s voice took on a serious tone. His eyebrows furrowed at the pensive statement. 

“I know, I just really needed to get rid of my excess energy.” Hinata was a bit taken aback by the slight scolding. Looking down at his hands he muttered, “Too jittery to go to sleep.”

The dog let out a soft whine and walked up to Hinata. He pushed his snoot into Hinata’s hands and forced the redhead to pet him. A very demanding boy.

“Your dog is cute.” Hinata said quietly as he gave the dog a head pat. 

The man huffed out a quiet laugh. The dog seemed content to accept more praise and compliments. 

“I believe he prefers the term handsome.” The man states with a barely-there endearing smile. “His name is...Tendo.” 

“Well hi Tendo! Aren’t you a good boy!” Hinata smiled broadly and continued to pet Tendo, who seemed to quite enjoy the attention. 

“Do you want to finish your run with me?” The man asks. “I’ll make sure you get home safely.” The man was cordial and straightforward, and while Hinata had just met him, he didn’t think the man was bad-news-bears. 

Hinata looks up from his hunched position of petting Tendo, “Yeah sure!” Hinata was excited at the prospect of having a running buddy. “Oh wait! I don’t even know your name.” Hinata straitened up and brushed any fallen snow off his pants. “I’m Hinata Shouyou! Nice to meet you!” Hinata gave the man a dazzling smile and extended his hand for a handshake. 

That familiar firm grip returned as the man replied, “Ushijima Wakatoshi. Pleased to meet you Hinata-san.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Fam! Hope you liked this chapter. This has only been edited by me because I wanted to push this chapter out as fast as possible. Any and all errors are the product of me being unable to proofread my own work. Chapters should be coming more regularly now that I’m on winter break. If you liked this chapter give me a kudos or a bookmark, or if you wanna be really nice leave me a comment. If you’re excited for Hinata to meet one specific character, let me know. I’m only asking because when I do ask, people seem to listen. Also I love the feedback—positive or criticism. As long as we’re cordial in the comment section, any and all feedback is welcome. 
> 
> As always,  
> Much love  
> -Nix💛


	6. Yeah...this is a problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ****CONTENT WARNING****  
> There is descriptions of gore in this chapter. I’ve marked the really bloody section in asterisks, although to be fair it isn’t too too bad. But still, please be safe. I don’t want to trigger anybody.
> 
> ******2nd UPDATE******  
> Hello! This is the second new update! I have added two more sections under the Ennoshita section. This chapter has become much longer than I thought I would. I honestly don’t know if I’m going to leave it here, or if I’m going to add the other two parts which are currently not written, but existing in my head—rent free. Also these sections are SUPER unedited. Apologies for the mistakes, I just really wanted to cross 30,000 words before 2020 ended. 
> 
> Happy New Year everybody!—💛

A consistent buzzing awoke Kenma from a deep sleep. The witch blearily opened his eyes and rolled over to grab his phone off the nightstand. Tha sharp lights of the screen made Kenma wince. Clicking on the green icon Kenma answered the phone. 

“Hello?” Kenma spoke in a raspy voice. He didn’t recognize the phone number but something in his gut told him to answer. Madame Razz always insisted he listen to his intuition. 

“Kenma?! Hi this is Hinata---oh uh, this uh, this is Kenma right?” The tangerine’s voice instantly perked the witch right up. Kenma shifted into a sitting position.

“Shoyo, It's good to hear from you.” If Kuroo were here he would be flabbergasted at how nice Kenma was being to someone who just woke him up. Matter of fact, where was Kuroo? He was there when Kenma fell asleep--

“Oh good it’s you Kenma! I’m sorry to call so early, but I’m having an emergency!” Well that escalated quickly. Kenma’s ears were ringing a bit from Hinata’s shouting so early in the morning. If Kenma didn’t know better, he would’ve assumed Hinata was a banshee. 

“O-okay Shoyo, tell me what's wrong. Are you okay?” Kenma hadn’t had time yet to put a protection charm around Shoyo’s property, so he would feel extra guilty if something bad--in regards to the supernatural--had happened to him. 

“I’m okay Kenma, It's just, there’s a dead buck on my front porch.” The anxiety was clearly audible in Shoyo’s voice. Kenma wasn’t immediately concerned, but he did agree that it was strange.

“When you say dead...just how dead are we talking?” Smooth Kenma. He just needed to figure out how concerned he should be about the dead animal. 

“I’m talking throat ripped out, th-there’s blood everywhere, and-and it’s guts are spilling out...Kenma...I-I’m in shock. I don’t know why this hap--I don’t know what to do. I---” Shoyo’s voice broke in distress. He was clearly shaken by what he had woken up to, and Kenma couldn’t blame him. 

_Okay this is cause for concern._ Kenma thought sardonically. 

“Shoyo.” Kenma interrupted his rambling. “Stay inside, do something to keep your mind busy. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” Kenma promptly got out of bed after saying his goodbye to Shoyo. He had never gotten ready faster than in those few moments. 

Kenma exited his bedroom and flew down the stairs. Instead of grabbing an apple and his water bottle like he had planned, Kenma walked straight into a shirtless Kuroo. 

_Ah, so that's where he was._ Kenma mused with his face smushed into between Kuroo’s boobs. _Has he been working out more?_

“Woah Kit-Kat. Buy me dinner first, yeah?” Kuroo placed his hands on Kenma’s shoulders, steadying him. Kenma looked up at Kuroo, who was playfully smirking down at him. Kenma broke eye contact with Kuroo.

“Kuroo, I need you.” Kenma’s voice was tight with nervousness. 

“Oh! Well someone’s feeling needy today!” Kuroo joked with the pudding-head witch.

“You snarky cat bastard--not like that!” Kenma relayed what Hinata had told him over the phone to Kuroo, who’s face had grown solem. Kuroo took a few seconds to digest the information.

“Should I be concerned that another man is taking your attention away from me?” Kenma rolled his eyes as he pushed past the taller male to grab his water bottle. 

“That’s what you take away from what I told you.” Kenma turned to give Kuroo a scolding glare. “But yes, absolutely.” Kuroo squawked indignantly. Kenma wished he recorded that noise; good blackmail material. “But no seriously Kuroo, I need your help evaluating the severity of this situation.” Kenma gave Kuroo a serious look. 

Kurro looked thoughtful as he nodded in agreement. 

“Give me two minutes to freshen up and then we can go help your new friend.” Kuroo began walking up the stairs. 

Kenma finished filling up his water bottled, grabbed an apple, and left to go start the car. He didn’t need to worry about telling Kuroo he was outside. Kuroo could hear the door close with his heightened hearing. 

Kenma tugged at the scarf he had quickly wrapped around his neck. The shocking difference in temperatures between the house and the outside made Kenma feel as if his eyes had just frosted over. 

He quickly shuffled to his car and started the ignition. Kenma breathed into his hands trying to keep them warm as he thought back to what Hinata had told him. He didn’t know what had happened to that buck, but the gruesome way it had died didn’t sit well with Kenma. He’d be able to make more deductions once he and Kuroo arrived at Hinata’s place.   
  


Kuroo eventually got in the car and Kenma peeled out of the driveway. The ride to Hinata’s house was silent and tense. Both were reviewing in their heads what they already knew from Hinata’s description, but nothing could prepare them for seeing it themselves. 

********

To say it was gruesome was an understatement. Blood had seeped through the cracks in the wood porch and was pooling underneath the house. The throat was nearly eviscerated and the neckbone was clearly visible. Blood vessels and muscle flopped listless forward exposing more of the innards. It’s guts were half spilled on the wood flooring and if it had been warmer, flies would be swarming.

********

Kenma turned away, he couldn’t bear to look at the dead animal any longer. He works with plenty of bones and other animal fragments in his potions or spells, but he never works with fresh corpses. ‘Recycling’ parts from animals that have already passed on is different than killing a perfectly healthy animal for ingredients. 

Kenma takes his phone out of his pocket and calls Hinata, who picks up after two rings.

“Shoyo, I’m out front with a friend. He’s better at evaluating these kinds of things than I am.” There was some noise from the side of the house that caught both Kuroo’s and Kenma's attention.

“Kenma!” Hinata called. “Come around the side entrance!” Kenma and Kuroo walked towards the voice, away from the grizzly sight. Kenma figured Shoyo didn’t want to use the front door since, well, all “that” was there. 

As he and Kenma turned the corner of the house, Kuroo’s eyes widened. _It’s that guy from the car_! The carrot top was standing in the doorway waiting for the approaching pair. Kenma shuffled up the steps and entered into Hinata’s kitchen. Kuroo followed closely behind and kept his eyes locked on Hinata. 

Hinata noticed the stare, but didn’t really have enough energy to care. Hinata closed the kitchen door and beckoned the pair to take a seat at the kitchen table. Kenma and the redhead had been engaging in some light conversation, but Kuroo hadn’t been paying attention. He was too focused on analyzing the half-pint. 

“--Kuroo.” Kenma speaking his name had broken Kuroo out of his thoughts. He was lucky he didn’t have to ask what Kenma had said as Hinata inadvertently informed him. 

“It’s good to meet you Kuroo, although I do wish it had been under better circumstances.” Hinata said bashfully. 

_Shit, I missed his name._

“It's good to meet you too. Any friend of Kenma’s is a friend of mine!” Kuroo replied smoothly, although he knew Kenma had picked up on the fact that he had missed Hinata’s name.

“So…” Hinata spoke hesitantly. “Kenma said you're better at analyzing these situations than he is?” Hinata glanced up at Kuroo with big doe eyes. Kuroo has always thought that Kenma was the cutest being on this planet, but Hinata might give him a run for his money.

Kuroo cleared his throat. He was deciding how he was going to get Hinata out of the house so he could call the guys over to help him investigate further. 

“Well, I think you’ve figured this out by now but there are some large predators in the area. This was obviously done by an animal but what myself and some of my colleagues need to figure out is if this animal had rabies, or another disease, or not.” Hinata’s eyes widened as he took in the information. Kenma had no idea where Kuroo was going but God, was he glad Kuroo was good at bullshitting information. 

“I work in the labs at the animal rehabilitation center in town. Part of my job is to test blood samples to see if the animals have any underlying illnesses.” That was partially true. Kuroo currently worked in the labs as an intern for his double degree in bio and chem at the local college. “So I’m going to need to call some of my colleagues to come here so we can run some tests. Are you okay with that?” Kuroo posed the question to Hinata, but he really wasn’t asking.

“Shoyo” _Ah so that’s his name!_ “I’ve seen them run these tests before, you don’t want to be here for them.” Kuroo was lucky Kenma thought of a way to get Hinata out of the house, because Kuroo had nothing. He was fresh out of bullshit. “Would you like to come with me to work? I don’t have a super long shift today and I can show you a bit around town if you’d like?” 

“The couches in back is the best place to take a nap!” Kuroo whispered to Hinata conspiratorially. Hinata’s eyes crinkled as he let out an adorable giggle. 

“Okay Kenma. Sounds like fun.” Hinata promised to be right back as he went to pack a bag for the day, leaving Kenma and Kuroo in a quiet kitchen. Kuroo pulled out his phone and began sending messages. 

“This isn’t good Kenma.” Kuroo spoke only loud enough for Kenma to hear. The witch nodded in response.

“I know.” Kenma’s eyes were trailing around the room. He was looking for something, Kuroo had no idea what. Kuroo’s phone began going off. He made eye contact with Kenma, who nodded, as he slipped out the side door to take the call. 

“Hey. We have a problem.”  
  


* * *

Kyotani winced at the antiseptic sterilizing his cut. Yahaba was gently pressing a dampened cotton round against the angry, red, broken skin. Iwaizumi had cleaned the cut yesterday, but of course Kyotani had reopened the wound. Thus, bringing him to Yahaba’s residence. He didn’t want to be chewed out--again--about the importance of taking care of himself. 

Kyotani was currently sitting on the plush mattress of Yahaba’s bed, naked from the waist up. Most people would feel uncomfortable baring so much skin in front of a vampire, but Kyotani had known Yahaba for a long time and thoroughly trusted the, slightly vain, vamp. 

Yahaba’s room was reasonably orderly and clean. There was clutter here and there, such as the half empty bottle of cologne--Versace, Dylan Blue-- being used as a paperweight, a pair of dress shoes next to some old work sweatpants, and a small plant propagation system made out of glass coke and beer bottles. 

“How are you doing?” Yahaba’s voice was quiet. He was kneeling in between Kyotani’s legs as he cleaned the cut on the blonde’s abdomen. Kyotani responded with a gruff noise emanating from the back of his throat. Yahaba took that as a “fine”. 

The cut wasn’t deep and didn’t require stitches, Yahaba concurred, but it probably stung and made any movement uncomfortable. 

“I really wish you wouldn’t be so reckless.” Yahaba gently scolded. He would usually be more stern, but something about Kyotani today seemed off. He was more quiet and sensitive than Yahaba was used to. It wasn’t bad, just surprising. Yahaba could tell something had happened, and he didn’t know if it related to the injury or not. Kyotani grabbed at Yahaba’s hand, which was currently finishing securing a fresh bandage over the cut. 

Yahaba stilled and looked up at Kyotani. The blonde’s honey brown eyes, that usually held a fierce and intimidating look, were soft, gentle, and appeared vulnerable. Kyotani’s other hand delicately cupped Yahaba’s cheek as he leaned forward, placing a tender kiss to Yahaba’s forehead. 

“You don’t have to worry about me.” Kyotani whispered against Yahaba’s skin. It was the first full sentence the brunette had gotten out of Kyotani since he arrived. Kyotani had his nose in the vamp's hair and was inhaling his scent. Yahaba smelled of pine trees, cinnamon, and unplanned adventures. 

Yahaba’s hands fell to rest on the blonde’s thighs as Kyotani pulled him closer. The blonde wolf was better at displaying his emotions through physical contact than verbalizing his thoughts. The brunette vampire didn’t mind, he was patient. 

A soft buzzing from the bedside table draws the attention of the two. Yahaba extracts himself from the wolf’s grip and picks up the phone. 

“Iwaizumi, what’s up?” Yahaba makes eye contact with Kyotani as he answers the call. 

“Is Kyotani with you?” Iwaizumi immediately gets to the point. He sounds as if he’s in a hurry and doesn’t have a lot of time to chit-chat. 

“What, no ‘hello Yahaba how are you’?” Yahaba takes after Oikawa in a few ways. One of them was that he didn’t seem to mind pushing other people’s--read Iwaizumi--buttons. 

“Yahaba--Not now.” Iwaizumi had spent enough time with Oikawa to realize when someone was trying to get a rise out of him. 

“Yeah he’s here.” Yahaba could tell by Iwaizumi’s tone that if he continued to push the wolf, he was going to get bitten. 

“Can you put me on speaker? I need to ask him something.” Yahaba fiddles with the phone and rests it flat in the palm of his hand. 

“Mm” Kyotani grunts as a form of hello. 

“Hey, Kuroo just sent me a picture of dead deer--or buck, whatever--on someone’s front porch. He says it was done by something supernatural. Do you know anything about this?” Iwaizumi’s tone wasn’t interrogative, but Kyotani still bristled. 

“No.” Kyotani’s voice was gruff and a bit defensive. His nick-name was MadDog and that tended to make strangers believe him to be unhinged or out of control. He had different responses depending on who used the nick-name. It could either be used playfully by his friends, or in a derogatory manner by other supernaturals--especially vampires. 

“Alright, thanks.” Iwaizumi then hung up. Neither took it personally, Iwaizumi was never one to spend much time gabbing on the phone. He also probably didn’t want to make Kyotani feel attacked if he continued to press. Something Kyotani shared with Iwaizumi was that underneath that gruff exterior they were both very caring individuals. 

Yahaba turned off the phone, stood up, and then plopped down next to Kyotani on the bed. Their shoulders brushed and it was the brunette’s way of asking if the wolf was still okay. 

“So.” Yahaba broke the comfortable silence the two were enjoying. “Why’d you lie to Iwaizumi?” Kyotani looked up at the brunette. His brows were furrowed and eyes narrowed. 

“Oh come on. You should know by now that you can’t lie to me.” Yahaba leans close to Kyotani’s ear as he whispers, “I know the rhythm of your pulse so well that I can tell when there is the slightest hitch.” The vampire leans back and smirks at the visceral reaction his voice has on Kyotani. The blonde is flushed from his cheeks down his neck and is quietly snarling at the teasing vamp. 

“Fine.” Kyotani relents with a grunt. “How’d you know it was me.” 

“Remember how you first tried to ‘court’ me?” Yahaba has a mischievous smile on his face as Kyotani reddens in embarrassment. 

“I do, but I have a feeling you’re going to remind m--” Kyotani was, predictably, cut off by the cheeky vampire. 

“For an entire week I woke up to dead animals on my back porch where I’d take my morning coffee.” Kyotani looked like he was in physical pain due to the mortifying memories. Yahaba looked like he was enjoying this. “Your wolf was adamant at proving to me how you’d be able to provide for me as a mate. It was rather endearing. Although, that may be because i’m used to death.” Yahaba shrugged and bumped shoulders with Kyotani who grumbled and refused to look at the brunette. He was acting like a scorned child and it only added to Yahaba’s amusement. 

“I’m sorry.” Kyotani quietly mutters. He seemed to be ashamed of his actions. 

“Don’t apologize.” Yahaba’s tone turned from teasing to understanding. “Listen, your wolf clearly wants to protect this person. That’s not inherently a bad thing.” Yahaba grabs kyotani’s hand. 

“I don’t want you to feel as if I suddenly don’t care about you.” Yahaba suspected it took a lot of courage for Kyotani to voice that thought. “I don’t even know why I did it. It was purely instinctual.” Kyotani sounded scared and unsure of himself. This was probably the reason he was so out of it today. 

“Hey, it’s okay to take some time to figure out your feelings.” Yahaba squeezed Kyotani’s hand reassuringly. “I won't tell Iwaizumi…” Kyotani looked at Yahaba hopefully. “...on one condition.” Yahaba was purposefully dragging this out just to tease the blonde. “I want to meet him.”

* * *

Ennoshita’s day was underwhelming to say the least. He was currently restocking shelves with jars of dried herbs, potions books, and divination teas. Tanaka was being incredibly kind in helping him with this task. 

Ennoshita idly chatted with Tanaka when a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. He stumbled and dropped the book he was holding. Tanaka appeared by his side, gripping his shoulders. The wolf was saying something to him, but Ennoshita couldn’t make out the words. Ennoshita knew he was about to have a vision when the world suddenly went black.

Tanaka reacted quickly when the witch suddenly dropped to the floor. He caught Ennoshita in his arms and cradled his body protectively. Tanaka had saved Ennoshita from a possible concussion with that catch. He had never been more thankful for his superhuman reflexes than in that moment. 

Tanaka heard light footsteps rapidly approaching him and Ennoshita. Madame Razz appeared around the corner of a shelf in a flurry. Concern was visible on her face as she knelt down beside the two. 

“Oh dear.” Madame Razz gently rested her hand against Ennoshita’s forehead as she turned her attention to Tanaka. “It’s a good thing you were here to catch him.” After checking to make sure the witch didn’t have a fever she patted Tanaka on the head, as if saying, _Good boy_.

And Tanaka was a very good boy. 

“Come, carry him to the couches in the back. I’ll go make some tea.” Madame Razz left to make tea as Tanaka lifted Ennoshita off the ground. Tanaka carried Ennoshita bridal style to couches around back where Kinnoshita and Narita were anxiously waiting for their friend. They had Ennoshita’s vision journal and a pen at the ready for when he’d regain consciousness. 

“Oh I hope he’s okay!” Kinnoshita worried aloud. Both him and Narita were nervously standing around the couch that Tanaka was setting Ennoshita down on. 

Narita fluffed a pillow and placed it behind Ennoshita’s head as he replied, “I’m sure he’s fine. I mean, the onset of this vision was a lot faster than normal…” Narita’s voice drifted off as he didn’t know how to finish that sentence in a reassuring manner. 

Tanaka was oddly quiet. He was sitting on the ground staring at Ennoshita and gently carding his fingers through the witch's hair. Tanaka was typically a loud and jovial person, and he usually only got louder as the full moon approached, but as he stared at Ennoshita’s flushed face and rapidly moving eyes beneath his eyelids, Tanaka was deadly silent. 

Narita and Kinnoshita babbled on above him, but Tanaka’s attention was solely on Ennoshita. He cared deeply for the witch, but he didn’t always know how to show his affection. With the approach of the full moon, his already low inhibitions kept dwindling, as his more animalistic side became more dominant. 

Ennoshita awoke with a start. His eyes shot open as he gasped for air. He jolted upright and frantically assessed his surroundings. Ennoshita needed to make sure he wasn’t still in his vision. 

“Hey, hey, I got you.” Tanaka placed his hand around the back of Ennoshita’s head in order to garner the panicked witches attention. Tears began to fall from Ennoshita as Tanaka cradled the witch in a hug. “I got you.” Tanaka whispered as Ennoshita quietly cried into his neck. He stroked the witch’s head as he looked at Narita and Kinnoshita. 

All three looked concerned. They had never seen Ennoshita react this way after exiting a vision. Narita quickly left to go get Madame Razz and Kinnoshita quietly looked on as Tanaka soothed the upset witch. 

After a few minutes Ennoshita had settled down. He slowly extracted himself from the embrace and gave Tanaka a watery smile. Narita and Madame Razz quickly rounded the corner and approached the trio. 

“Are you okay dearie?” Madame Razz spoke as she set down the tray. Ennoshita nodded as he rubbed a few stray tears off his cheeks. 

“Yes. I’m okay now.” As he spoke the fog in his eyes seemed to clear. Ennoshita became more alert as his head cleared and his breathing evened out. “I uh, I have to write it down…” Ennoshita said as he looked around for a pen and paper. Narita handed him his journal and a pen.

Ennoshita nodded in thanks as he quickly opened up his journal and began to scribble down his vision.

“This vision was different, yes?” Madame Razz asked the question more like she was stating a fact. Her tone was no longer jubilant and easy-going, insead it was serious and grim. Ennoshita merely nodded in response as he continued furiously writing. “Then tell me about it.” Madame Razz never outwardly asked about Ennoshita’s visions, she just expected him to tell her about them if they caused him distress. This sudden change in behavior caught everyone by surprise.

Ennoshita paused for a millisecond as he digested Madame Razz’s words before he continued writing. 

“It was dark--night time--and I was out in the woods...somewhere...I don’t know where. The moon was bright, there were no clouds and no wind. I--someone--was running, they were afraid. This all happened in flashes but, there was the sensation of falling, a sharp searing pain in my side, and blood...lots of blood. The-there was a scream, and a crash, and the sound of teeth shearing flesh. I-I could feel everything that was happening to this person. I--” Ennoshita’s voice broke as he paused in recounting the vision. Tanaka was still sitting in front of him, gently rubbing reassuring circles on his back. 

“Then the scene changes. I’m in the alley behind the bar, Number 23, near the dumpsters. Someone, a vampire, has me pushed up against a wall and they’re bleeding me dry. The person is trying to fight back but they’ve lost too much blood. Now instead of being the person being drained I’m a bystander rushing to the scene, trying to pry the attacker off this person.The faces aren’t clear, I don't know who was there. The vampire is pulled off the person, there’s a splatter of blood--god, the person’s hair gets soaked with blood, it's so red---it’s an arterial spray so the blood goes everywhere.” Ennoshita breathes deeply trying to steady his hand as he continues writing. 

“Again, the scene changes. This is the last episode I had before waking up. I’m tied to a tree on the shoreline of the lake. There are a lot of people standing around me. One person--a man--is talking, giving some speech to the group of people. He sounded angry. It was almost as if he was trying to rile up this group--his group--of people.” Ennoshita pauses and swallows. “He then turned around and walked up to me. The vision ends with him taking out a knife and gutting me. Then I woke up.” Ennoshita stills as a few tears slowly leak out of his eyes and he stops writing.

He wipes his tears and looks up at Madame Razz. “I’ve never experienced anything like that. My visions were always from a third person point of view--I’ve never experienced what happens in my vision directly!” Ennoshita looks pleadening at the older witch. “Why now?” Tanaka, Kinnoshita, and Narita each had varying degrees of grim, solemn, and distressed looks on their faces. 

Madame Razz took a sip of her tea as she sat in silence. She looked as if she was contemplating what to say in response. When she looked up from her teacup her gaze was solemn as she simply replied, “I don’t know.” Ennoshita’s face fell in anguish. That was not the answer he wanted.

“But...I have a few ideas, nothing concrete though.” The four perked up hopefully as Madame Razz spoke. “Let me look through some old tomes in my study, they should have some answers.” The older witch gently set down her teacup and gave the distressed witch a gentle smile. She got up and waddled around the table as she gently cupped Ennoshita’s hand. “You’ll be okay dearie. Come hell or high waters Madame Razz will find those answers for you!” And with that passionate proclamation Madame Razz shuffled away to her study to do some digging. 

Ennoshita knew the day had been going too smoothly. _Nothing is ever easy around here._

* * *

Hinata really didn’t need any convincing to leave the house. He didn’t want to be anywhere near the cabin at the moment. After packing a bag, he practically dragged Kenma out of the cabin. After a quick goodbye to Kuroo they were on their way. 

Hinata was currently driving Kenma to work as he agreed to spend the day with him. 

Hinata was excited to spend more time with Kenma, but he was also immensely thankful to be anywhere but in that cabin. The drive to Kenma’s work was filled with comfortable silence. Soft music played from the speakers as Kenma typed quickly on his phone. 

Kenma was texting Kuroo. The witch was making sure Kuroo knew what he was doing and didn’t need his help. Kenma was torn. He wanted to make sure Hinata was okay, but he also wanted to help Kuroo. After a bit of deliberation Kenma reasoned he would be of most help to Kuroo by distracting Hinata and keeping him away from the cabin. That way it would be easier for Kuroo and the others to gather the information they wanted. 

“So you’re going to turn left here, and then after the next stoplight my work is on the right.” Kenma gave directions as Hinata was driving. Hinata hadn’t been down this way...or maybe he had...he was still learning the layout of this town. “There should be some parking spaces out front, otherwise there’s a parking lot about a block further.” Luckily, Hinata was able to procure a parking spot out front of _The Whispering Woods_.

The outside of the building had medieval gothic architecture with dark wood support beams intersecting over a lighter colored stone. The energy of this store simultaneously intrigued and intimidated Hinata. 

“Shoyo, would you mind if I grab a quick coffee before we go in there?” Kenma was wrapping a cranberry scarf around his neck as he spoke. The red jewel tones in the scarf made the gold in Kenma’s irises sparkle. How could hinata say no to those eyes?

“Sure thing Kenma!” Kenma was already exiting the car as Hinata quickly scrunched on his hat. The pom pom on top bounced as Hinata stepped out of the car. “Where are we going?” Hinata locked the car and met Kenma on the sidewalk. 

“There’s a cafe right next door.” Kenma grabbed Hinata’s hand and led him to the entrance of _The Greenhouse_. “This is mostly a plant and flower shop, but there’s a little cafe inside.” Kenma entered and Hinata followed. The air inside was warm and smelled earthy...which made sense given the nature of the shop. 

Kenma led Hinata to a little cafe tucked away in a corner of the impressively large store. There were a few tables with barstools situated around the counter. The smell of freshly roasted coffee beans and warmed baked goods made both of the young men salivate. 

“Kenma!” A man with onyx black hair, in a buzz-cut style, with reasonably thick eyebrows and full lips called out to Kenma. Kenma tensed at the sound of someone calling his name, but relaxed when he saw who it was. The man gave Kenma a relaxed smile, who returned the warm gesture. 

“Kai.” Kenma replied in greeting as he and Hinata approached the counter. The man seemed familiar with Kenma and his monosyllabic greetings, and turned his attention to Hinata expectantly. His eyes were the color of storm clouds listlessly floating in a chocolate sky. His skin was the color of toasted almonds and peanut brittle. Hinata felt a warmth emanating from this person; there was just something about him that Hinata knew he could trust and rely on. 

“I’m Hinata Shoyo! Nice to meet you!” Hinata gave the man a smile brighter than the sun. He wanted to make a good first impression since this person was a friend of Kenma’s. 

Kai felt as if he needed sunglasses to look at Hinata. _He’s literally glowing...This dude glows..._

“Good to meet you too Hinata! My name is Nobuyuki Kai, but you can just call me Kai.” Kai gave Hinata his own attempt at a blinding smile. While it wasn’t as cataract inducing as Hinata’s, his smile was enough to make Hinata blush. “So, I assume you came here for a reason…” Kai quickly switched into barista mode. “What can I get for you two?” Hinata looked up the menu on the wall a little overwhelmed with the options. He thought since this was a small cafe there wouldn’t be very many options...he was wrong. 

“Psst!” Another barista whispered to Hinata as Kenma was giving Kai his order. This man had a similar gray colored buzz-cut with sunkissed tan skin. His eyes were a violent gray, as if an electric storm was happening in his irises. “Get the peppermint mocha!” He flashed Hinata a bright smile and gave him an understanding nod. Hinata must not have been the first patron unsure of what to order. 

Kai had finished writing Kenma’s order on the cup and turned to Hinata. Without much thinking, Hinata blurted out, “Medium peppermint mocha please.” Kai nodded as he scribbled the order on another cup.

“Good choice.” The other barista mouthed to Hinata as he began prepping the drinks. Kai rolled his eyes at his coworker as a fond smile graced his lips. The coworker quirked his lips up into a cheeky smirk. 

Hinata missed the price as his attention was on the other barista. Hinata liked this guy's cheeky spunk. When Kenma pulled out his wallet and paid for both of them, Hinata snapped his attention back to the two in front of him.

“Wait Kenma I can pay!” Hinata fumbled for his wallet, embarrassed. Kenma made a dismissive hand motion and Hinata knew he wouldn’t win this battle. Kai was amused as Kenma proudly handed him the money. 

_Kenma hates Kuroo paying for him...yet he insists on paying for Hinata...interesting._ Kai would be analyzing this with Yaku over a bottle of wine later that night. 

Kai left to grab some items from the bakery that Kenma must’ve ordered when Hinata wasn’t paying attention. Hinata was watching Kai’s coworker fiddle with the drinks but Kenma grabbed his attention. 

“Is there any place in particular you’d like to see today?” The witch asked Hinata. While Kenma was interested in what Hinata had to say, he knew he had to draw Hinata’s attention away from Watari. The drinks in this cafe doubled as potions, and Kenma couldn’t have Hinata seeing Watari doing any magic. Kenma had ordered a Chai Latte; which doubled as a delicious source of caffeine and a pretty useful picker-upper potion if a witch needed some extra energy, or was feeling unwell. 

Watari had deduced that Hinata wasn’t a witch and probably shouldn’t unknowingly order a drink off the more magical menu. The magical ingredients probably wouldn’t have any adverse effects on the human, but it’s always best to be safe. 

Also Kenma would probably skin the forest nymph alive if he magically drugged Hinata. Watari didn’t shy away from challenges, he was just selective in choosing his battles. And fighting with Kenma was not a war he wanted to engage in. Picking a fight with Yamamoto was far more enjoyable

Watari was certainly the cheekiest of all the forest nymphs around. 

The daring nymph murmured some words softly over Kenma’s drink, activating its magical properties. He then gave the redhead a little extra whip cream, just because. 

Hinata had been prattling on explaining that wherever Kenma wanted to go, he’d be fine with--but could they please go see the lake because he’s been told it’s really pretty! Kai had been listening with an amused expression. Kenma looked pleased with himself for garnering Hinata’s attention, while also regretting his decision because he did NOT expect Hinata to give him this lengthy of an answer. 

Watari saved the day by announcing his arrival with their drinks. “Alright one Chai Latte for you, and one Peppermint Mocha for you.” Hinata gently cupped his drink in his hands. He was looking at the mocha as if it was liquid gold and took a tentative sip. A bit of whip cream clung to his top lip which Hinata licked off cutely. 

Hinata looked up at Watari with large eyes and an ecstatic smile. “This is great! Thank you so much!” Watari looked quite proud of himself and turned to Kenma expecting some form of praise. The witch looked at him with half lidded eyes and merely raised his cup in recognition. That was probably the best _thank you_ Watari was going to get from Kenma. 

“My shift starts soon.” Kenma spoke quietly. He could feel the effects of the potion warming his chest. The witch nodded to the two baristas and started to make his way out of the cafe. Hinata was slowly becoming more used to Kenma’s “social skills” but still felt leaving without a goodbye was a bit rude.

“Thank you for the drinks!” Hinata gave a slight bow and smiled at the two forest nymph baristas. “It was good to meet you two!” Hinata stated, and then turned around to follow Kenma. 

Kai gave a verbal goodbye while Watrai merely waved. Both were happy to meet the boisterous sunspot. While Kai thought about wanting to have a cup of tea with HInata one day, Watari was wondering if Hinata liked to go bar hopping. Both ultimately concurred that this Hinata Shoyo seemed like a pretty cool dude. 

* * *

Kuroo was stoically standing in front of the cabin staring at the crudely killed animal. The black haired male was good at compartmentalizing; he was trying to only engage his analytical side, because his emotional side was rather upset at the prospect of this animal's life being ended in such a brutal manner. 

Kuroo heard a car approaching the driveway. It parked on the side of the street and after a few moments Kuroo heard the car door open and close as someone got out. Soft footsteps crunched in the snow as the person padded their way to Kuroo.

“Daichi.” The deep scent of patchouli, chocolate, and vanilla musk was unmistakably Daichi. The aforementioned wolf stopped next to Kuroo and joined him in analyzing the eviscerated deer. 

“I talked with everyone in my pack who could’ve done this and none of them have anything to do with this. So if you brought me here to blame any of my pack mates--” Daichi’s scent was turning smokier as he began defending his pack against what he thought would be Kuroo’s interrogation. Kuroo quickly cut him off before Daichi got too riled up. The only time Daichi was quick to anger was when his pack was in some way threatened. 

“Woah Daichi!” Kuroo turned to the slightly shorter, yet marginally beefier, male with an alarmed looked. The snarky cat was also the tiniest bit amused at Daichi’s initial reaction--but he wasn’t going to let the wolf know that. “I didn’t ask you here to throw around accusations. You should know that.” That statement simultaneously satiated Daichi’s worries, while also giving him a slightly backhanded compliment. 

“How should I know that? All you sent me was a picture and a text saying ‘Get here now’ with an address.” Daichi looked unamused at Kuroo. 

“Alright maybe I should’ve worded that better.” Kuroo slightly winced at his lack of tact in that text. Daichi rolled his eyes at his slightly obnoxious friend. While Kuroo was exceptionally cunning, he could be really stupid sometimes. “You think the others are gonna react the same way?” Kuroo asked Daichi slightly concerned. He really didn’t want to deal with the other four being so defensive. 

“Who else did you message?” Daichi asked as the sound of a car approaching could just barely be heard. No, two cars were arriving. Daichi and Kuroo turned and began walking down the driveway to greet whoever was about to arrive. 

Kita was the first to arrive, with Ushijima not too far behind. Kita parked on the opposite side of the street and Ushijima followed his lead. The group didn’t have to worry about too much traffic coming through. The houses in this area were rather spread out and not many people drove around this area for sightseeing. 

Kita’s scent of mandarin’s, cedarwood, and crisp cotton--the sensation of warm towels--wafted over to the pair, as the silver fox--literally-- stepped out of his car. His usual expression of neutrality was visible on his face. He turned to acknowledge Ushijima, who had also just gotten out of his vehicle, and crossed the road. 

Ushijima was the first to speak. 

“I assume you didn’t bring us here to place blame on a member of one of our packs, yes?” Ushijima’s statement wasn’t really a question. Kuroo was seriously regretting his lack of context in the text. Kita--ever the sly fox--had a guarded look in his eyes as he waited for Kuroo’s response. 

“Correct. I gathered you all here--and we’re still waiting on Iwaizumi and Bokuto--to make sure everyone is aware of this incident. If everyone’s on the same page, then we can be on the lookout for any other strange events.” Kuroo’s rationalization placated any hostile emotions bubbling under the surface.

“But if you just wanted us to be aware of this incident, then why make us all come here?” Kita questioned. “You could’ve just called or texted us this information.” The fox was still a bit curious about the cat’s intentions. Kita knew how to play mind games; kitsune’s were masters of manipulation and trickery. While Kuroo wasn’t a kitsune, were-cats, of any kind but especially panthers, were notoriously known to be cunning tricksters. 

“Right, but I also need to borrow some of your more specialized skills.” Kuroo turned to Daichi, “I love my nose, but I have to admit, yours is better.” The snarky cat boldly booped the wolf’s nose. Daichi was not impressed. A horn beeping stopped Daichi from retaliating. 

Bokuto quickly parked his car behind Daichi’s and hopped out to greet the group. “Hey hey hey!” Bokuto cheerily called out to them.The boisterous owl turned to Ushijima, “And hey!” One hey for each of them. 

“Hello Bokuto-san.” Ushijima replied diplomatically. Kuroo gave the owl a toothy grin and Kita politely nodded. Daichi just wanted to get on with this “investigation”. 

“Well we’re basically all here, if Iwaizumi wants to be late--let him.” Daichi bluntly stated. He respected Iwaizumi, but he was done waiting. 

The group began walking down the driveway. Kuroo and Bokuto were quietly chatting in the back with Daichi leading the charge to the scene of the crime. 

“This is Hinata Shoyo’s house.” Ushijima stated as they approached the cabin. Daichi, Kita, and Kuroo paused and looked at the stoic man. 

“How do you know that?” Kuroo asked confusedly. That was his information to share. 

“Uh, who’s Hinata Shoyo?” Bokuto questioned. He was the only person who didn’t recognize that name. 

“Remember that cute redhead we saw a few days ago?” Kuroo shamelessly smirked at the memory of the mesmerized carrot top. Bokuto’s eyes widened and a shining smile spread across his face. 

“Can we get back on track?” Daichi reprimanded the horny cat. 

“I agree with Daichi-san.” Kita voiced with a scathing look. Ushijima was confused since he thought Hinata’s hair was more orange than red...maybe it was the lighting?

“Fine, fine.” Kuroo brushed past everyone as he muttered, “Buzzkill.” Daichi rolled his eyes at the childish behavior. 

“Ushijima-san.” Kita attempted to help get everyone back on track. “How do you know this is Hinata-kun’s house?” Ushijima nodded in acknowledgment.

“I met him on my run last night.” Ushijima had everyone’s attention. “I delivered him home safely at the end of our run.” He looked over at the porch. “There was no carcass when I left him.” 

“Yeah we figured.” Kuroo quipped. 

“When did you drop off Hinata?” Daichi asked, pointedly ignoring the sassy cat. 

“Around 11:30 I believe.” A pensive look crossed Ushijima’s face. Daichi turned his attention to Kuroo.

“When did Hinata let you know this had happened?” Kuroo furrowed his brow in contemplation.

“Kenma and I left the house around 8:20ish, so Hinata probably found the animal around 8? Maybe 8:10?” Kuroo estimated.

“Ushijima-san, did you go home immediately, or were you still in the neighborhood for a bit afterwards?” Kita questioned with a methodical look on his face. 

“I was out with Tendou and he needed to expel more energy. We continued to run for another 45 minutes. We weren’t in the immediate area, but we were close enough that I believe one of us would’ve heard or sensed something violent happening.” Ushijima stood firm in his resolve that this incident must’ve happened after he and Tendou were out of the area. “Tendou was shifted and in that form his senses are far sharper than mine. He would’ve sensed this.” 

“That means that this took place between approximately 12:30–8am. The sun doesn’t rise until about 7:20, so maybe we could narrow that time window down from 12:30-7?” Kita speculated. 

“So 6 and a half hours.” Bokuto contemplated. Everyone thought back to their packmates whereabouts during that time frame. If anyone felt suspicious of their packmates, they didn’t voice those concerns.

“Well, Daichi, get to it.” Kuroo gestured to the animal in front of them. 

“...I’m sorry?” Daich slowly turned to the taller male. His eyebrows were raised, hoping he was wrong about the implications Kuroo was making. 

“Y’know, use that supersonic nose of yours and sniff out our perp.” Daichi was not wrong in his assumptions of Kuroo’s implications. 

“Do you know how pervasive the smell of blood is? I’ll be lucky if I get the natural scent of the deer. It’s not likely to get anything else. Any scent someone might have left has been thoroughly cloaked by now.” Daichi was not someone who slacked off their responsibilities, but he really, really, didn’t want to do this. 

“Well let’s hope you get lucky then.” Kuroo was not backing down, and Daichi knew he was the most qualified person out of the five of them for this job. He really wished they had waited for Iwaizumi.

“...I hate you.” Daichi mumbled as he stomped over to the carcass. The brunette grimaced as he approached the animal. His sensitive nose wrinkled in disgust. Daichi hesitated in sniffing deeply. The metallic scent was already overwhelming his senses, the brunette’s stomach rolled around uncomfortably. Daichi felt as if his esophagus was tying itself in a knot. 

“Oh come on. Don’t be a pansy, get on in there!” Kuroo took a bit of perverse delight in watching one of the strongest people he knew squirm in discomfort. 

“Do you wanna do this!” Daichi angrily questioned the cat. Kuroo held up his hands in surrender--best not to push the wolf too much. “Yeah, didn’t think so!” Daichi huffed as he finally bit the bullet and inhaled deeply. He gagged and Kita had to look away. 

“Okay he got nothing, let's give it a rest.” The owl touched Kuroo’s bicep in an attempt to get him to stop Daichi’s suffering. Bokuto grimaced in sympathy and Ushijima scrunched his face in disgust. 

“No.” Daichi surprised everyone as he was the one to deny giving up. “I think I got something.” Daichi looked back down at the animal with a _kill-me-now_ look, before diving down to the deer's neck to get a better scent. 

Kuroo was surprised at Daichi's perseverance. He wasn’t going to force the wolf to take another sniff if he almost threw up with one whiff. 

The wolf pulled back and the others were positive he was going to vomit. Daichi held up a finger as he tried to even out his breathing before speaking. 

“I know this scent.” Daichi’s stomach made an audible gurgle--it did not sound good. Bokuto and Kuroo backed up a bit. “I don’t know exactly who it is, but I know, I know this scent.” 

“Sawamura-san, I think you’ve done your job admirably. You can back away from the animal now.” Kita, who had still not turned back around, spoke worriedly. Ushijima nodded and beckoned the woozy wolf forward. 

Daichi walked on uneasy legs down the stairs and back onto the snow covered grass. 

“Thank you for your service.” Kuroo slapped Daichi on the shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile.

“Ugh..fuck you..” Daichi held his stomach and slowly walked past the lanky cat. He didn’t even look up as he insulted Kuroo.

Kuroo retracted his hand and nodded, “Fair enough.” 

A car door closing drew everyone’s attention, minus Daichi--he was leaning against a tree trying to get the smell of decomposing flesh out of his nostrils. Iwaizumi was walking up to the five standing around the cabin. 

“Sorry for the delay, there was something I had to deal with first.” Iwaizumi was surprised he was asked to come instead of Oikawa. He was the only non-pack-leader here. Kuroo shrugged off his apology. The cat did text everyone very last minute, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that everyone would be able to come at that very moment. 

“Iwaizumi, good to see you.” Ushijima acknowledged the intimidating wolf. Iwaizumi nodded respectfully to the taller male before turning his attention to Kuroo. 

“Why did you ask me here instead of Oikawa?” The green eyed wolf needed that question answered. He didn’t want to be here if the other pack-leaders weren’t respecting his mates' authority. Just because he teases Oikawa, and doesn’t listen to everything the tall vampire says, doesn’t mean anyone else is allowed to. 

“Oikawa isn’t a shifter and you are. We needed you for your nose but Daichi already took one for the team so--” After Kuroo offered his explanation, Iwaizumi walked up to the animal. He crouched lowly and began breathing in whatever scent was remaining. Meanwhile everyone was urging him not to do that!

“Iwaizumi-san!”  
“I really wouldn’t bro--”  
“Oh he’s really going for it--” 

Kita, Bokuto, and Kuroo all spoke at the same time, grimacing at the disgust that crawled across Iwaizumi’s features. Ushijima looked between Daichi--who was still a sickly shade of green--and Iwaizumi who looked as if a wasp had just flown up his nose. 

“That’s vile.” Iwaizumi choked out. “But there’s something there.” Iwaizumi hesitated before diving back in for another sniff. Daichi shrugged off from the tree and walked back over to the group. Although, he kept a wide berth of distance between himself and the porch. A look of recognition flashed in Iwaizumi’s eyes. 

“The scent is familiar isn’t it.” Daichi spoke directly to Iwaizumi, who nodded in reply.

“I--no.” Iwaizumi inhaled again. The others were perplexed. “It can’t be.” Emerald orbs squinted in confusion. 

“What is it Iwaizumi-san?” Kita’s soft tenor broke whatever spell the spikey haired wolf was under. Iwaizumi steeled his eyes and looked up at the five surrounding him. 

“It’s Kyotani.” His voice was guarded and his eyes sharp. Iwaizumi wasn’t going to lie to the others, but he also wasn’t going to immediately condemn the other wolf without hearing his explanation. 

The others realized the sensitivity of the current situation; nobody spoke. Everyone eyed each other, trying to gage the other’s reactions. 

“Do you know why Kyotani-kun would do something like this, Iwaizumi-san?” Kita had the gentlest voice out of the five of them, he figured he needed to be the one to ask the difficult questions. Iwaizumi stood up and began walking down the steps towards the group.

“No.” His answer was simple. “But I want to be the one to figure out why.” The others thought Iwaizumi would be protective of Kyotani, they didn’t expect him to want to be the one to interrogate him. The others had a silent conversation through glances and nonverbal communication.

“Ugh I can’t let this go on anymore.” A voice groaned out behind them. “I do hope you all are playing dumb, otherwise; the only explanation is that you’re all actually stupid.” A tall blonde rolled his eyes and stepped out of the shadows. Dark tendrils swirled around his form and evaporated away into smoke. Ushijima was initially reminded of Tendou--who would not be happy with the comparison. 

“Tsukki!” Bokuto brightly exclaimed. The owl and cat were the only two who positively reacted to the blonde’s appearance. Daichi and Iwaizumi were not impressed with the snark they received from the younger man, whereas; Kita and Ushijima remained neutral. “Wait... did you just call us stupid?” Bokuto pouted as his initial happiness wore off. Tsukkishima rolled his eyes as if to say ‘ _you’re just catching on to that now’_?

“Do you have something of importance to add? Or are you just here to antagonize us?” Kita questioned diplomatically before Daichi could rip his packmate a new one. The blonde reaper always respected the fox’s ability to cut through the bullshit. 

“Actually, I do have something to say.” Tsukishima looked at the carcass at his feet. “But seeing you all struggle is far more amusing.” A shit-eating grin creeped up his face.

Daichi looked at Kuroo with a disapproving glare. _You taught him too much, you snarky gremlin._ The dark haired male merely shrugged his shoulder sheepishly--yet secretly proudly--in response. 

“Tsukki, stop being a brat.” A soft voice spoke from the shadows behind Tsukishima. Yamaguchi materialized behind the snarky reaper. The green haired male was softly speaking into the taller blonde’s ear. 

“Yeah Tsukki, stop being a brat.” Kuroo jeered and Yamaguchi blushed. The reaper glowered at the dark haired male who was snickering at Yamaguchi’s bashfulness. 

“I will rip your soul out through your nostrils.” Tsukishima deadpanned. Yamaguchi was tempted to stick out his tongue at the meanie cat man. 

“Tsukishima Kei. Information. Now.” Daichi was done with the meaningless squabble. His arms were crossed in front of his body and he was tapping his foot impatiently. 

“Fine.” The blonde rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Iwaizumi. “How did wolves traditionally court their mates?” That’s it. That’s all the information they were getting. Tsukishima wasn’t going to spoon feed them the information. Luckily the six weren’t as stupid as the blonde feared. 

“Oh.” Daichi muttered, slightly shocked. He wasn’t expecting that. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but not that. 

“Yeah, oh.” Tsukishima mirrored. The eight stood there in silence. They were each digesting the information they had just learned. “Well my work is done here.” The blonde then dematerialized, taking a protesting Yamaguchi with him. 

Just as four out of the six of them were about to start shouting for Tsukishima to reappear and explain more to them, a car turned onto the drive and pulled up to the cabin. 

Hinata and Kenma had returned. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This chapter is very short. Actually it’s the first half of chapter six, but I don’t know when I’ll be able to write the second half. The next few days are busy for me seeing as how I’m the resident chef of my household and Christmas is this Friday. I got a lot of prep work and cooking to do these next few days. I wanted to get one more chapter up as a Christmas present to you all, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to finish it on time. If I don’t update this chapter again, or just post a separate chapter, then please accept this as your Christmas present. (If you want to give me a present then please leave me a comment!)
> 
> I hope you all have a happy holidays, however you are spending it this year. Much love to everyone! 💛  
> -Nyx


	7. Prove it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ***UPDATE***  
> I deleted the introduction. Not only did it become annoying as I kept having to update it with more accurate information about the characters, but it also became a cheat sheet for you readers. I initially created that page because keeping track of all the characters and their supernatural forms got confusing. But it took away a lot of mystery about the characters so I decided to get rid of it. If people feel like they need it again to keep track of everyone then I will be more than willing to add it back in at some point. 
> 
> Also it messed up my chapter counter so that became a stupid pet peeve of mine.

Hinata gripped the steering wheel in a vice. His muscles were tense with anxiety as he pulled in his driveway. Six men, some of whom he recognized, were standing in his yard. But truthfully, Hinata wasn’t focusing on them. The tangerine’s mind was occupied by the conversation that had just occurred at _The Whispering Woods_.

——————————————-earlier in the day—————————————————————

The door to _The Whispering Woods_ chimed as Kenma and Hinata entered the store. Hinata clutched his drink tightly and followed the pudding-head inside. The air inside was comfortably warm and soothed their frosty skin. 

Hinata inhaled the scent of spices, old books, and mystery. It was as if the building itself was alive. Energy buzzed and crackled through every inch, every molecule, of the store. 

“I’ll be right back, let me just put my coat away and then I’ll take you to the lounge.” Kenma left Hinata in the front of the store. The caffeine had begun to settle in the redheads veins. Kenma hadn’t been gone for more than two minutes but Hinata was already restless. 

The redhead couldn’t resist wandering around the intriguing space. There were rows of crystals, plants and other...unidentifiable things...in glass jars, and aged books. Hinata walked down a row of bookshelves. He skimmed his fingers over the spines of books as he examined the wealth of works on the shelves. 

Hinata paused as one title caught his eye, _A Guide to Spirits, Shadow People, and Ghostly Apparitions._ Kenma hadn’t told the redhead what his job was, or what kind of store _The Whispering Woods_ was. With all the books, Hinata assumed it was a small bookstore. But as he continued to peruse the shop, Hinata got the feeling this wasn’t any old normal bookstore. 

Curiosity peaked, Hinata pulled the book off the shelf, and placed his drink in its place. It was a thick (with three c’s) book; there was plenty of space for the beverage. It was a dark murky green leather bound book with gold leafing. The book’s elderly spine developed scoliosis, and the musty smell of aged parchment wafted out of the book. 

Flipping open the book, Hinata found the table of contents: _peeling back the veil, bestiary and humanoids, benevolent, ambivalent, and malevolent, protection, summoning, cleansing_ , and many more chapters continued to stoke the slowly growing flame of Hinata’s curiosity. 

“Shoyo?” Hinata turned at the sound of his name. Kenma was standing at the end of the aisle watching him curiously. The redhead looked back down at the book in his hands.

“Kenma, do you believe in ghosts?” Hinata had been meaning to ask the dip dyed male this question, especially after everything that had been happening lately. 

The witch walked with trepidation over to the human tangerine. Kenma wasn’t ready to have this conversation so early in his and Hinata’s relationship. He wasn’t a pack-leader. He didn’t have the authority to tell a non-supernatural person about the supernatural world. But Kenma also couldn’t lie to Hinata. 

“Maybe. Why do you ask?” Kenma evaded the question, by answering with a question. Kenma knew it was an infuriating tactic if he continued answering with non-answers, but it was the only way to not tell the truth and also not lie. 

Hinata looked up at the witch with large pleading and fearful eyes. The redhead audibly swallowed and the air between them grew heavy with vulnerability and tension. Hinata opened his mouth to speak before he was quickly cut off. 

“Kenma dearie! There you are!” Madame Razz waddled down the aisle towards the two. Her large harvest moon colored eyes analyzed the redhead with Kenma. “Hinata Shoyo, good to see you again dearie!” The purple haired witch smiled at the stunned male.

Hinata turned to Kenma questioningly. The redhead's gaze asked, _how does she know me?_ Kenma’s gaze responded with, _no idea, just go with it_. 

“Madame Razz, I was wondering if Shoyo could stay here while I worked my shift? There was an...emergency at his house earlier this morning, and he doesn’t have anywhere else to go.” Kenma quietly stepped into the conversation before Madame Razz could say anything else strange. 

“Of course dearie! Although, you could just take the day off if you’d like to show our new resident around town? It’s going to be a slow day today, I can feel it.” Hinata had a few questions as to how she just seemed to know things without having any prior knowledge. Hinata was lost in his pondering as Kenma quickly responded.

“No, no that’s okay Madame Razz. I’ll still work my shift.” Kenma didn’t want to put out the elder witch. He respected her too much to take advantage of her generosity. 

“Well…alright. If you want to, dearie.” Madame Razz shrugged her shoulders. “Then come on, let Madame Razz show you to a nice spot to read that book of yours.” Hinata was quickly pulled out of his thoughts as a small wrinkled hand gripped his hand, with surprising strength, and pulled him to an unknown destination. Hinata didn’t have enough time to grab his drink, but Kenma was kind enough to grab it for him. 

Madame Razz was chatting with Kenma as they walked deeper into the store, but Hinata couldn’t focus on the conversation as a purple butterfly landed on his nose. Hinata went cross eyed trying to look at the delicate creature that seemed intent on staying right where it landed. 

Ennoshita was still calming down from his vision. The abnormally active vision had drained most of Ennoshita’s energy. The tired witch nursed a fresh cup of tea and was resting his head against Tanaka’s shoulder. Kinnoshita and Narita were making a fresh pot of tea with magically active ingredients to help rejuvenate their friend.

Tanaka blinked his eyes open as he heard Madame Razz talking with someone. The sleepy wolf heard footsteps approaching the lounge he and Ennoshita were...lounging...in. 

The witch resting on his shoulder blinked blearily, trying to stay awake. Madame Razz walked towards them pulling a bundled up redhead behind her. Kenma was walking behind the redhead talking about everything and nothing with the older witch. 

“Ah! Ennoshita dearie, are you feeling any better?” Madame Razz forcibly sat the redhead down on the couch opposite Tanaka and Ennoshita. Kenma waved at the two before sitting down next to the carrot top. 

“Yes, just tired.” Ennoshita yawned as he sat up straight. Tanaka missed the witch’s soft hair brushing against his cheek. After making sure he wasn’t lying, Madame Razz left to go help the other two witches with the tea. 

“Shoyo, this is Ennoshita and Tanaka.” Kenma quietly spoke to the redhead and gestured according to the two. Ennoshita furrowed his brow and studied the small tangerine. _I know him. Where do I know him from?_

The man, introduced as Ennoshita, looked exhausted to Hinata. A flush of plums crept up his cheeks as if the man had just run a marathon. His dark brown hair, the color of a darkly roasted coffee bean, was tousled and standing up in odd places. Ennoshita’s eyes were a similar shade of swirling nectar, hazelnuts, and stability.

The other man, who Hinata now knew as Tanaka, sat beside Ennoshita. He had a shaved head with a widow's peak. His eyes were a steely blue-gray; the color of a storming wave cresting over a rocky shoreline. Tanaka had an arm protectively wrapped around Ennoshita’s shoulders, supporting his friend's tired body.

“Oh hi, it’s good to meet you two. I’m Hinata Shoyo.” Hinata waved awkwardly. His other hand still clutching the old tome. 

“It’s good to meet you too Hinata-kun!” Tanaka animatedly responded. The wolf noticed the odd behavior from the witch besides him, he’d have to ask him about it later. Kenma also studied his strangely quiet colleague. Tanaka quietly cleared his throat and gently nudged Ennoshita. 

“Hm? Oh! Yeah, nice to meet you as well.” Ennoshita blinked rapidly as his mind came back to the present. “I’m sorry I spaced, couldn’t sleep last night.” The witch offered as an explanation. It wasn’t a total lie. Ennoshita always found it difficult to sleep leading up to the full moon. 

Kenma was reluctant to leave Hinata with the duo. It’s not that he didn’t trust them, he did. There was an odd energy around the two today and Kenma couldn’t quite pinpoint the reason for it. Ennoshita’s behavior perplexed Kenma; _why is he studying Shoyo so intently?_

“I’ll check in on you when I can. My shift is only four hours today, will you be okay for that long?” Kenma worriedly asked.

“Don’t worry Kenma, we’ll be here to keep him company!” Tanaka spoke before Hinata could open his mouth. Kenma was not enthused with Tanaka’s energy. 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine Kenma.” Hinata fondly smiled at the worried male. His eyes crinkled cutely and his nose scrunched up bunny-like. Kenma’s anxiety dissipated slightly at the adorableness in front of him. 

“Okay Shoyo.” Kenma lightly patted Hinata’s hand before standing. The witch gave one last concerned look at Ennoshita before hurrying away. 

The trio sat in silence. Ennoshita began intensely analyzing Hinata again, and this time without Kenma, Hinata felt awkward. Tanaka noticed the uncomfortable atmosphere but before he could say anything to lighten the mood, Madame Razz, Kinnoshita, and Narita walked back in with a new steaming pot of tea, and a tray of cookies and other baked goods. 

Kinnoshita and Narita momentarily paused at the appearance of a newcomer. 

Hinata looked over at the two males alongside Madame Razz. The shorter male had short light brown hair; the color of sandy beaches at sunset. His large and narrowed grey-taupe colored eyes sparkled with curiosity. He seemed anxious and timid as he subtly hid behind the taller male. 

A man with a tall and lean build, and a shaved head similar to Tanaka’s--though this man’s hair was darker and didn’t have a widow’s peak--stood protectively in front of his shyer friend. His wide brown eyes had swirls of black tea, chamomile flowers, and rosewood.

The two helped Madame Razz pour tea and create plates of treats for everyone. 

“Here you go dearie.” Madame Razz spoke soothingly, “For your head.” The elder witch poured a cup of tea and handed it to Ennoshita. The aforementioned witch gratefully took the cup and inhaled the aroma of chamomile, ginger, and lemon. 

Narita quietly introduced himself and his friend to Hinata as Kinnoshita conversed with Tanaka. The witch due took the armchairs and Madame Razz popped a squat next to Hinata. The chatter subsided and Hinata, once again, felt himself grow tense with the awkward silence. 

“Where’d Kenma go?” Madame Razz asked as she searched quizzically for the witch. 

“To do work?” Tanaka offered as helpful as he could. He didn’t know how much he could say while in Hinata’s presence. 

“Ah…” Madame Razz paused in deliberation. “I wanted to ask him when he was going to do your cleansing ritual.” Silence followed that statement. Hinata was confused as to what a “cleansing” was, but he was even more confused when he realized the statement seemed to be directed at him.

“I’m sorry do you mean me?” Hinata questioned the older woman who merely laughed at his seemingly stupid question.

“Well of course I mean you. Who else could I be talking to?” As Hinata gestured to the other four sitting with them, Madame Razz swatted away his hands in dismissal. “No, they don’t have any ghosts.” The purple woman spoke in a tone that made everything she was saying seem obvious. Everyone turned to the witch with round eyes.

“G-ghosts?” Hinata coughed out his response as he began choking on his drink. “I don’t have any ghosts.” Hinata finally spoke clearly after he nearly coughed up a lung. 

“Hm?” Madame Razz hummed softly, deep in thought. “Then why’d you grab that?” The older witch inclined her head at the book resting in Hinata’s lap. 

Hinata looked down at the tome resting in his lap and struggled to find an answer. 

“It’s because you’ve experienced something strange, something you can’t explain away.” Madame Razz seemed to voice the thoughts going through the redheads mind. 

His head began spinning as he thought back on all the strange occurrences that had happened to him in that cabin. Hinata tried to come up with a rational answer, but the evidence his senses provided him became too much to dismiss 

Gazing around the store, and thinking back on the word “cleansing” Madame Razz had used, the pieces began falling in place for him. His house was haunted, Kenma was some kind of medium-witch-person, and Hinata needed answers. 

Whispering an apology at his rapid departure, Hinata quickly got out of his seat to go find Kenma. 

* * *

  
  


Kenma had just prepared a checklist of things he needed to get done that day when Hinata ran towards him. The redhead had a passionate yet nervous look in his eyes. Determination rolled off his body in waves. Whatever Hinata wanted, Kenma was going to give him. Whether the witch wanted to, or not.

“Do you believe in ghosts?!” Hinata loudly huffed, before quieting down and stating, “You never answered me.” Kenma inhaled sharply. He was once again caught in between a rock and a hard place. 

“Y-you never told me why you wanted to—“ Kenma fumbled for the right words to say. 

“My house is haunted.” Hinata quickly cut Kenma off. The redhead didn’t feel like receiving half-assed answers anymore. Hinata simultaneously felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and a bowling ball had been lodged in his esophagus. By voicing this thought, Hinata was acknowledging that something abnormal was happening to him. Avoidance is addictive, and if Hinata avoided talking about these strange occurrences, then he would never have to admit that they’re happening. These conflicting feelings brought both relief and more tension to the already tense redhead. 

Kenma couldn’t lie to Shoyo. It would be cruel to gaslight his new friend into not believing his own experiences. Kenma could spin this situation and make Hinata question his own senses and perception of reality, but that would be mental torture to the tangerine. 

“Yes. I believe in ghosts.” If Kuroo, or any of the other pack-leaders, found out about Kenma spilling supernatural secrets, he would be in big trouble. “Because I’m a witch.” Kenma thought at some point, after getting to know Hinata better, he would tell the carrot-top about the supernatural world; he just figured it would happen later as they became better friends. The “later” Kenma thought about, became that very second. 

Hinata didn’t seem surprised at this confession. Kenma figured, _Something must’ve tipped him off about me before this conversation._

“So I’m not crazy, ghosts are real.” Hinata reluctantly vocalized his thoughts.

“Not just ghosts. Everything is real.” Kenma affirmed. 

The inside of Hinata’s mind turned into a battleground. _Logic_ was fighting against _experiences_ , and _truth_ was playing a pisspoor job at mediator. A small part of Hinata’s mind wanted Kenma to tell him that _no, his house was not haunted, everything that happened was all in his head._ But that’s not the answer Kenma gave him. 

The logical side of Hinata still wasn’t convinced, which prompted Hinata to say, “Prove it.” If Hinata was going to fully, 110%, believe in the supernatural, then he needed evidence. Testimonies of “ _believe me bro_ ” weren’t going to cut it. 

Kenma wasn’t surprised with Hinata’s response, but the witch was secretly hoping the redhead would believe him outright. 

“Okay.” Kenma rummaged around in his storage closet turned apothecary for smudging and cleansing materials. If Hinata wanted proof, then what better proof was there than cleansing his cabin of spirits. 

Kenma dragged Hinata back to the lounge area, where everyone was still sitting and drinking their tea. Kenma had expected at least one of them to come after the flustered redhead, but no one did. Madame Razz must’ve said something to keep the other four calm. 

“Madame Razz?” Kenma cautiously grabbed the witch's attention. “Is taking the day off still an option?” 

-——————————————-back to the present————————————————————

Kenma felt his phone vibrate in the pocket of his coat. He was still sitting in the car with Hinata. Kenma tried not to focus on the six pairs of eyes staring at them from the front lawn. Hinata didn’t need to try; his gaze was laser focused on the cabin. 

_I thought you were going to keep Chibi-Chan occupied all day? You’ve barely been gone two hours!?!? What gives???_

_Something came up._ Kenma swiftly replied. This probably wasn’t the response Kuroo was hoping for, but Kenma couldn’t care less at that moment. 

Kenma stuffed his phone back into his coat pocket and turned to look at Hinata. The redhead clenched his fists around the steering wheel so tightly Kenma worried it would snap. Kenma nervously placed a hand on Hinata’s forearm. His pressure was light as he delicately thumbed circles on Hinata’s arm. This calming motion must’ve had an effect on the tense male as Hinata loosened his grip and gave Kenma a barely noticeable nod. 

“You-you’re not toying with me, are you Kenma?” Hinata’s voice was filled with anxiety and dread. His eyes, which normally glowed like sunshine, were as cold and distant as a cloudy sky. 

“No Shoyo, I’m not.” Kenma answered honestly. His words were blunt; there was no proverbial bush to beat around. The two sat in the car for a few seconds longer before Hinata turned to Kenma.

“Okay.” That one word from Hinata was enough to set everything into motion. Both men exited the car and walked up to the cabin. Kenma grabbed Hinata’s wrist and dragged him to the cabin’s side entrance. A few shouts of protest could be heard as the witch and tangerine scurried inside.

“Why didn’t we stop to talk with them?” Hinata questioned once Kenma let go of his wrist. The kitchen door closed with a squeak and a thud as the two men shed their winter gear. 

“A few of them are a bunch of loud mouths and I don’t feel like being trapped in a half-hour conversation about the weather.” Kenma might've been exaggerating a bit on how boring the guys could be, but he didn’t really care. “Besides, you can meet them after I get this done.” Kenma’s words brought Hinata out of his confused state and back into work mode. 

Kenma set out everything he would need for the cleansing on the kitchen counter: a small bundle of lemongrass, lavender, and rosemary, a glittering piece of black tourmaline, salt, a lighter, an owl's feather, and Kenma’s personal book of shadows. 

As Kenma examined everything he brought, he realized that this was it; this was the last possible moment he could back out. This was his last chance to follow the rules and keep his human friend in the dark about the supernatural world. 

.

.

.

 _Fuck the rules._ Kenma would reap whatever consequences were awarded to him if it meant he didn’t have to lie to Hinata Shoyo. 

“Alright. Let’s do this.” Kenma grabbed his book of shadows and opened to the page on cleansing rituals. This was normally Kinnoshita’s and Narita’s area of specialty but Kenma knew enough to get the job done. As long as Hinata wasn’t haunted by a demon, or something stronger, Kenma could cleanse the cabin just fine. 

The witch bunched up the herbs and ignited the lighter. Smoke began to rise from the bundle. Kenma set down the lighter and instead picked up the jewel of tourmaline. The crystal was placed in the path of the smoke and began charging. 

Kenma was muttering something under his breath that Hinata couldn’t make out. A small part of Hinata was still waiting for Kenma to start laughing about how he was punking the redhead. That mindset immediately changed when lights began flickering and a deep cold settled in Hinata’s bones. 

A small vibrating, turned into a rattling, tuned into a shaking. It was as if an explosion had just gone off a few miles from the cabin. Hinata stumbled into a wall behind him and called out to the witch.

“Kenma?” Hinata’s voice shook with the vibrating cabin. 

“Don’t worry I got it!” Kenma stopped his chanting to answer the nervous redhead. Distant shouting and banging on doors could be faintly heard over the shaking. Swirling dark clouds gathered on the ceiling as a small tornado formed in the connected kitchen-living room. 

A strong gust of wind peeled off the cyclone and connected with the witch's small body. Kenma was thrown across the room and connected with the wall Hinata was pressed against.

“Kenma!” Hinata yelled as he reached out to his friend's crumpled form. 

“Don’t worry...I got it.” This time Kenma’s reply was less convincing. 

_Huh...seems like it’s something stronger than a ghost._ Kenma sardonically mused as he shakily stood up. Once Kenma found his feet he was roughly shoved against the wall. A toned arm at his throat and a scowling reaper glared down at him.

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Tsukishima hissed out as all the abnormal turbulence came to a sudden halt. Kenma had never seen Tsukishima angry. Pissed off, annoyed, and bored were common moods and expressions for the reaper, but pure rage was surprising to be seen on the stoic blonde. 

“Oh. It’s you.” Kenma”s reply perplexed the blonde, who still hadn’t noticed Hinata. A--kind of sad--war cry was heard before Tsukishima was knocked to the ground. His large hands instinctively grabbed the waist of his attacker. 

In a sudden show of bravery, Hinata charged--and successfully tackled--the absurdly tall blonde. The redhead straddled the blonde’s thin waist and firmly planted his hands against the mysterious man's shoulders. 

Hinata didn’t know what to do once he had the man on the ground. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. His only goal was to help defend Kenma. Hinata stared down into the man’s eyes and felt his heart jump into his throat. The man had starlight and golden thread for hair, which glowed against the man’s porcelain skin. Golden brown eyes--the color of crystalline amber, solar flares, and arrogance--glared back into his own honey colored orbs. 

Tsukishima prided himself on his ability to be rarely taken by surprise. It had been a long, long time since he had been so caught up in his emotions that he didn’t properly survey his surroundings. The consequence of his impulsiveness was to be tackled by a half-pint tangerine. Looking up at his attacker Tsukishima became even more annoyed than he already was when he saw how infuriatingly beautiful the man on top of him was. 

The man panted heavily. Orange hair created a glowing halo around the smaller male. Small hands pressed his shoulders into the floor in a feeble attempt at holding him down. The man's eyes shimmered with sunlight and fierce determination. The reaper briefly wondered what the man would look like under him. 

“If you wanted to be on top so badly, all you had to do was ask.” Confusion bloomed into embarrassment on Hinata’s face at the realization of the man’s words. Before Hinata could scramble off him, the blonde male disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Strong arms circled Hinata’s small waist from behind and lifted the tiny redhead off the floor. “But not today.” Soft lips brushed against Hinata’s ear as the man’s breath sent shivers down his spine. 

Hinata was roughly tossed towards Kenma who stumbled at the impact. The witch laced his arms protectively around Hinata’s waist and scowled disapprovingly at the lanky reaper. 

Hinata was shaking as he clung onto the witch for stability. The adrenaline had begun to wear off as exhausted anxiety settled in his bones. 

“The next time you're in pain, instead of throwing a tantrum--like a two year old--just say something!” Kenma scolded the younger male. 

“You weren’t hurting him.” A soft voice captured the trio's attention. Hinata looked in the direction the voice emanated from and witnessed a man materialize out of thin air. He had dark moss green hair and light cream petal skin. Fawn freckles danced across his face as constellations danced across the night sky. Ferns grew out of the rolling seafoam of the man’s irises. “You were hurting me.” The man began flickering in and out of existence. A pained expression crossed his face as he crumpled to the ground in a heap. 

A wisp of black smoke moved across Hinata’s line of vision. The smoke became corporeal and the tall blonde was besides the green haired man helping stabilize him.

This was all happening too fast for Hinata. He was finally coming to terms with the fact that ghosts, witches, and whatever the hell that blonde is are real. The supernatural is real. With that final thought, Hinata saw the world go black as he fainted. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, leave me a comment and tell me about it! I already have the next few events in this fic planned out, so expect a new update sometime soon. 
> 
> Much love to all of you. Stay happy, safe, and healthy! 💛


	8. Decisions, Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovely readers I have returned to you. I apologize for the agonizingly long hiatus I took, however I think I just needed a break. I love writing, but sometimes you can only do so much before your fingers feel as if they might fall off. This semester has been rough. My workload has increased a lot and I'm at a point where I need to start planning for grad school. I'm thinking about applying to this five year program so that I'd be able to get my masters faster. So thats been taking up a lot of my brain space. Therefore, longer periods of time before I update might become more common than I'd like. But I promise I am not giving up on this work and I am not abandoning it! I have a lot planned for this work so I hope you decide to stick around for what is to come. 
> 
> This chapter is super unedited and not very long, sorry about that. Hope you enjoy!

“Kenma!” Kuroo anxiously banged on the door. The rumbling from inside the house had quieted down and the dark atmosphere had dissipated. Bokuto nervously paced behind him. The owl was restless and Iwaizumi had to restrain him from shattering the windows.

Kita and Daichi had run around to the side door in an attempt to enter the house. All attempts to help the two men inside were fruitless as a dark energy locked all the entrances to the house.

Ushijima pensively studied the situation. The man’s face was stoic but if someone looked close enough, they could see the anxiety in his eyes. 

\-------------------------------------------back inside the house---------------------------------------------

Kenma cradled Hinata’s head in his lap. Hinata had dropped too suddenly for the witch to be able to catch him. Kenma glared at Tsukishima who was helping Yamaguchi stand. 

The incorporeal specter syphoned energy off the reaper to become tangible. It takes energy for the greenette to be physically present, but it’s easier when the blonde is helping him. 

A shout draws the attention of the men. Kenma and Tsukishima make eye contact. 

“Can you do something about that?” Kenma blandly spoke. The reaper rolled his eyes as he walked Yamaguchi to the couch. With a wave of his hand the doors swung open and the six men piled into the cabin. 

Kuroo rushed over to Kenma and the collapsed redhead. The cat fell to his knees and gripped the witches shoulders. Kuroo’s topaz eyes earnestly stared into Kenma’s golden orbs. 

“You okay?” The cat swallowed thickly. A tight ball formed in his throat and his eyes stung. Kuroo always got more emotional around the full moon. Fondness shown in Kenma’s eyes and he nodded in response. 

“...Good…” Kuroo relaxed his grip and glanced down at the unconscious man in Kenma's lap.

“This cuteness is revolting. Someone kill me--oh, wait.” Tsukishima set Yamaguchi down on the couch and hovered around caringly under the guise of aloofness. 

“What ever happened to not being a brat?” Kuroo looked over his shoulder at the blonde with a shit-eating grin. Tsukishima pointedly ignored the snarky cat. 

“Alright, enough. What the hell happened here?!” Daichi was standing behind Kenma. His arms were crossed and an angry scowl covered his face. Tsukishima turned to look at Kenma. The two shared an unreadable glance. 

With the subtlest of nods Kenma spoke, “There was just a misunderstanding. No big deal.” Kenma looked back down at Hinata and Tsukishuma turned back to the exhausted green-haired male. Daichi wasn’t going to get any more of an answer than that. 

“Why is Hinata-kun on the floor?” Kita hovered worriedly over Kenma. The witch glanced up at the fox.

“He fainted. Kuroo, get him on the couch.” Kenma demanded. Kuroo was surprised with his friend's demanding tone, but not unhappy with it. He would have to talk with Kenma about this later. The large cat scooped up the smaller male and cradled him in his arms. He carefully carried the unconscious redhead and delicately rested him on the couch.

A semi-corporeal Yamaguchi sat at Hinata’s feet with a stone faced reaper looming over his shoulder. Kenma adjusted Hinata’s positioning so that he could sit with Hinata’s head in his lap. The six men that were once outside have now all gathered into the living room. 

As everyone found their seat, a stifling silence settled over the room. A seriousness resided in everyone's eyes; even the most jubilant--*cough*Bokuto. 

“So how are we going to do this?” The last person anyone suspected of asking this question, voiced the one thought that everyone was thinking. Bokuto had a stern look of deliberation on his usually joyful face as he spoke.

“Do what?” The tall gryffon asked. Ushijima had his arms crossed and brow furrowed. Everyone waited for the owl to further explain himself--even though everyone knew, deep down, what he was going to say.

“How are we going to tell him?” Bokuto cocked his head and raised an eyebrow as if what he just said was the most obvious thing in the world. Ushijima continued to look at Bokuto as if he needed more clarification. “About us a-and our world.” Bokuto made an all encompassing gesture of everyone in the room. 

“I think you might be skipping a step, Bokuto-san.” Kita turned away from analyzing the redhead and looked at the owl. It was now Bukuto’s turn to look confused.

“He means, we first need to decide if we are even going to tell him.” Daichi voiced the issue everyone was avoiding.

“What do you mean ‘if we’re going to tell him’?!” Bokuto balked at the seemingly outrageous statement Daichi just made. “Of course we’re going to tell him!” Bokuto looked around the room and analyzed everyone's faces. He was met with varying degrees of confliction, deliberation, and conviction. 

“It is dangerous to possess knowledge you were not meant to have.” Ushijima’s voice was low and full of weariness and trepidation. Daichi nodded in agreement. He steepled his fingers and brought them to his lips as he wrinkled his brow, deep in thought. 

“He’s already seen too much. Don’t you think when he wakes up that he’s going to have questions?” Bokuto argued fervently. “We can’t lie our way out of this.” 

“It would be cruel to make him question his own judgement.” Kita voiced calmly. “But there are ways around that issue.” The usually stoic man looked conflicted as he continued with his statement.

“What are you thinking, Kita?” Daichi questioned, still gazing down at the table in thought. 

“Memory modification.” Kita barely got the phrase out of his mouth before he was shut down.

“No.” Kenma’s voice was quiet yet stern. The witch stopped carding his fingers through the redheads hair and gazed up at everyone. “We’re not doing that.” 

“I agree with Kenma.” Iwaizumi spoke as he straightened up from his slouched position against a wall. “You know how dangerous messing with someone's mind can be Kita.” Iwaizumi almost sounded disappointed in his fox friend. 

“It was merely a suggestion.” Kita raised his hands in an attempt to ease the tension. “I don't even want to do that.”

“Then why did you bring it up?” Bokuto questioned.

“Because he knows it's a good idea.” Ushijima and Bokuto seemed to be on two opposite ends of the “do we or don't we tell Hinata” spectrum. The former on the side of not telling Hinata, and the latter on telling him. Everyone else was somewhere in the middle and if this came down to a vote, the decision would be very close. 

“Kenma, you spoke as if you had already made up your mind.” Daichi stated as he slowly made eye contact with the witch. The question of _what’s your decision_ remained unspoken as the two looked at one another.

“You all can keep having this conversation, my mind’s already made up.” Kenma maintained eye contact with Daichi as he spoke. “I’m telling him everything, regardless of your decision.” Kuroo snapped his head in Kenma’s direction as Iwaizumi and Ushijima stiffened. Bokuto seemed elated that someone agreed with him and Kita merely nodded. 

A tense moment passed as the stare down between Kenma and Daichi ended.

  
  
“Alright.” The brunette muttered softly as the look of contemplation cleared from his face. “Then I guess we’re back to the first question, how are we going to tell him?” Daichi leaned back from his hunched position and addressed the rest of the group. 

“Wait, are we really letting one witch dictate our decision? This is important, and we can't make a rash decision here.” Ushijima argued passionately. “We would be putting this human in a lot of danger--not to mention ourselves-- by giving him this information. Do we risk our own packs safety over the curiosity of this one human?” Silence followed his argument as the other pack leaders began to weigh the risks of this endeavor. 

“If you’re so worried about putting him in danger--as you say you are, Ushijima-san--then I would argue that it's more dangerous to not give him this information.” Everyone turned to look at the reaper. Tsukishima hadn’t said much of anything this entire time so his voice surprised the others. 

“Please continue, Tsukishima.” Kita’s quiet voice urged the blonde to continue before someone made a retaliatory argument. 

“The shrimp seems like an annoyingly curious and determined individual. If we don’t give him the information then he is going to seek it out for himself. And the sources he may find might not be as human friendly as this one.” Tsukishima jabs a thumb in Kenma’s direction as he finishes his statement. 

_And here I thought you didn’t care about him at all, Tsukki._ A tired voice tickled the back of the blondes mind. Tsukishima could feel the cheeky grin Yamaguchi was giving him.

_I don't. I just don't want to be a babysitter._ Tsukishima replied in a deadpan.

_I don’t believe you._ A breathy chuckle could be heard before the blonde reaper was brought back to the current conversation. 

A soft exhale turned grunt caught everyone’s attention. Hinata was slowly waking up. 

A quick glance is passed between the group as Daichi speaks.

“Yes or no, we need to make a decision right now.” Daichi spoke with a finality that urged everyone into action.

“Yes.” Bokuto answers decisively. As if anyone doubted what his vote would be.

“Yes.” Kita’s quiet but determined voice rings out. After weighing the pros and cons of the situation, Kita came to the conclusion that while it would be safer to do a memory wipe on Hinata, the more humane option would be to be forthright and honest with him. 

Kuroo takes a moment to look at Kenma, who nods, before answering “Yes.” While Kenma wasn't his official second, Kuroo strongly trusted the witch's judgment. 

Iwaizumi nods in affirmative and answers, “I’m not Oikawa, but do it anyway.” Tough shit if Oikawa didn't agree with his decision, Iwaizumi thought it was the right thing to do. And as acting pack leader, in place of Oikawa at the current moment, he had the right to make such decisions. 

Everyone looks to Ushijima who sighs and closes his eyes. He takes a moment before his eyes open again and he relents with an uncertain, “Yes.” Ushijima did not seem to be confident in this plan, but was willing to go along with it...for now.

“Alright we’re doing this. Let's call our seconds and get on with this.” Daichi’s voice is final as everyone begins bringing out their phones to call their right hands. Daichi figures they made a decision just in the knick of time, as Hinata’s eyes begin to flutter open.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this chapter leave me a kudos or maybe a bookmark or even a comment!  
> Much love to you all, hope you all are staying happy and healthy,  
> \--Nyx <3


	9. A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dear Oikawa lovers, 
> 
> I'm sorry, and you're welcome. <3<3<3
> 
> Again, this chapter is super unedited. If you see any mistakes just ignore them and it'll save my pride. I'll come back and edit out the mistakes later.

Hinata exhaled sharply as he was abruptly brought back to consciousness. His eyes instantly meet Kenma’s sunset hues. The man’s delicate fingers gently card through his hair, helping ground Hinata and calm his nerves. 

“What happened?” Hinata’s voice was airy and strained. He had a far away look in his eyes as the past events came rushing back to him. With a startle Hinata sat bolt right up, almost smashing his forehead into Kenma’s. Hinata quickly surveyed his living room and found 8 other pairs of eyes watching him intently. 

He instantly recognised the majority of the people, but one pair of golden orbs was strangely foreign yet familiar.

Hinata felt tense and uncomfortable with the amount of attention he was currently receiving. His body language was rigid and mimicked a cornered animal. 

An uncomfortable shifting on the couch grabbed Hinata’s attention. Yamaguchi looked just as uncomfortable in such a tense atmosphere. A look of recognition crossed over Hinata’s face as he analyzed the greenette and blonde. The redhead instantly recoiled and scrambled off the couch landing on his ass. Daichi and Kita stood up from the couch across from them and looked worriedly down at the frazzled man. 

At the new movement Hinata scooted backwards, and directly into Kuroo’s legs. The redhead angled his head backwards and slowly looked into amused amber orbs. With a shrill “Eeep!” Hinata leapt to his feet and turned in a circle as he looked at everyone in his house. 

“Okay! What the fuck is going on!” Hinata’s voice was much less intimidating than he wanted it to be. He squirmed and his muscles tensed like a compressed spring, ready to jump at any moment.

“Shoyo, it's alright.” Kenma stood slowly and showed his hands in a non-threatening way. “We’re going to explain everything to you but I think it's best if we all try to calm down.” It was at times like this when Kenma desperately wished he had Akaashi’s ability to calm a person with his voice. 

“Everything. You mean that right?” A blaze of determination mixed with fear shone fiercely in Hinata’s eyes. Kenma subtly looked to Daichi who gently nodded in affirmation of Hinata’s question. 

“Yes, everything.” Kenma’s voice was full of sincerity and assuredness that seemed to calm Hinata, ever so slightly. Hinata nodded and reluctantly walked back to his spot on the couch. He uncomfortably shifted closer to Kenma and away from Yamaguchi. The green haired man noticed this and visibly sagged. 

Yamaguchi was a gentle soul, filled with self-loathing at the idea of other beings being afraid of him. He fully understood why Hinata would be nervous around him, but it still hurt. Tsukishima--ever the knight in shining armor--noticed his friends' change in attitude and narrowed his eyes at the redhead.

“Let’s get this over with.” The blonde droned. Daichi rolled his eyes in response but cleared his throat none-the-less.

“Hinata, I assume you know most everyone here?” Daichi questioned as he and Kita sat back down. Hinata quickly glanced around and nodded.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ve met you before?” Hinata looked at and gestured to the tall, muscular man with white/grey hair that has streaks of black running through it. This man strangely reminded him of that owl that landed on his car a few nights ago. 

“Bokuto Kotaro! It’s good to officially meet you Hinata!” The man's voice boomed in the small cabin’s living room. A wide smile spread across his face that dazzled Hinata.

“And um...you two?” In a slight daze Hinata turns to the two spectral beings with an expectant look. 

“This is Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, they’re a part of my pack.” Daichi spoke up before either of the aforementioned men could. The brunette seemed anxious to begin this conversation.

“Which, speaking of packs--that might be a good place to begin this conversation.” Kita speaks up, sensing where Daichi wanted to direct the current conversation. Kita looks at Daichi who nods subtly telling the fox to continue. “Us six--except for Iwaizumi-san--are pack leaders. Now, this means that we have a group--or a pack--of people that we have guardianship over.” Hinata was listening with rapt attention, but seemed a little confused. 

“It’s a complicated and sort of political process and currently not pertinent information.” Kuroo quickly stepped in before the conversation could get derailed into the logistics of being a pack-leader. “I think the best way to explain...us… is to do this individually once our seconds get here?” Kuroo poses this suggestion to the group who all agree that the information would be less overwhelming to digest if broken up. 

“I think that's the best way to do this.” Daichi nods and checks his phone. The brunette looks up and asks, “Suga will be here in a few minutes, what about everybody else?” 

“Yaku is on his way.”

“So is Akaashi.”

“Aran will be here shortly.”

“Semi should also be arriving soon.”

“Oikawa isn’t responding to my texts, I need to go yell at him.” Iwaizumi muttered as he quickly strides out the door to the front porch.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coagulated blood squelches as Iwaizumi steps onto the porch. The emerald eyed man grimaces as he dexterously steps over the animal and walks down the icy steps. His breath puffs out in wisps of vaporous smoke as he begins calling a contact labeled _Shit Head._

A few rings pass before a voice answers, “What can I do for you Iwa-chan?” Oikawa’s smug voice chimes through the phone’s speaker. 

“You can get your ass over to the address I sent you.” Iwaizumi bluntly replied as he heard a car door shut through the phone. “Are you really just getting in your car now? I’ve been texting you for like fifteen minutes! And I know you're not busy today--” Iwaizumi is cut off as a blur rushes up towards him. 

Before he can react a hand reaches out and grabs his phone. With the tap of a long and nimble finger the call is ended and the phone is slipped back into Iwaizumi’s pocket. Oikawa is standing in front of him, with a smug grin, and has his arm draped across Iwaizumi’s shoulder. The chocolate colored eyed male languidly leans forward until the tip of his nose is brushing Iwaizumi’s. 

“Even if I was, you know I’m never too busy for you.” Oikawa’s eyes sparkle with mischief as he leans forward, feints a kiss, and coyly moves his head over Iwaizumi’s shoulder. “You said there was some problem--oh I see!” Oikawa is now basically draped over Iwaizumi’s form. The green eyed wolf looks thoroughly exhausted with his friends' antics.

“Yes, so glad you could finally join us.” Iwaizumi spoke wryly. Extracting himself from Oikawa’s grasp, Iwaizumi explains the current situation to a now more serious looking vampire. 

“So, we all decided that telling this human was the right thing to do?” Oikawa looked confused and as if he didn't agree with the verdict. 

“Well, Ushijima-san wasn’t too thrilled with the outcome--” The dark brunette was swiftly cut off.

“Say no more, I’m in.” Oikawa patted Iwaizumi on the shoulder, marched up the stairs, gracefully stepped over the carcass, and knocked on the door. He quickly beckoned his friend to follow him and then clasped his hands behind his back as the door swung open.

Bokuto’s eyes lit up as he opened the front door. 

“Oikawa’s here!” He quickly backed up to allow the two men back inside. Oikawa hesitated and scanned the room. His eyes landed on a flushed redhead with sparkling amber eyes. Inhaling deeply Oikawa was able to detect the same mouth watering scent from a few days ago. The aroma of clementines, fressia, and sunlight was intoxicating for the vampire. 

Iwaizumi grasped Oikawa by the shoulder and softly murmured, “Are you okay?” The brunette shook himself from his intoxicated state and focused intently on only breathing in Iwaizumi’s scent. It was familiar and helped ground him. 

“I am a proper gentleman, and only enter after I have been invited inside.” Oikawa spoke to the entire group, but pointed his statement mostly at the redhead.

“Oh, uh, sure.” Hinata sputtered out. The newcomer intently stared at him and that made Hinata feel uneasy. “Come on in.” 

Oikawa delicately stepped over the threshold. Once he realized he faced no resistance, he continued his way into the cabin. 

“First lesson on the supernatural…” Oikawa walked up the couch Daichi and Kita were on and squeezed his way in between the two of them. This way he was directly in front of the alluring redhead. “I’m a vampire and you just allowed me into your home. General rule of thumb; If a vampire wants an invitation to enter your home, it's not to have tea and cookies with you.” 

“Did, um. Did you just say vampire?” Hinata's eyes widened as he subtly leaned back and scooted closer to Kenma.

“Yeah! Oh did you not get that far yet?” Oikawa looked between Daichi and Kita as he asked this question.

Daichi brought a hand up to massage his brow as he shook his head “No, we haven’t. We were waiting for our seconds to come.” Kuroo stifled his chuckle as Kenma gave him a stern glare. 

“Oh. Well then you got a long way to go.” Oikawa looked back into Hinata’s eyes. “Speaking of, do you have any tea and cookies?” Oikawa should’ve known getting too close to someone with such an alluring scent would make him antsy. He needed a distraction at the moment, and tea and cookies is always a wonderful distraction. 

“Oh, I uh, I just went to the store yesterday.” Hinata found it difficult to speak as he gazed into those deep pools of chocolate mocha irises. There was something hypnotic about maintaining eye contact with this man. As Hinata pointed to the kitchen behind him the brunette stood up and quickly sauntered his way there. 

“Excellent, I’ll make some tea for all of us!”

“Oooo! I’ll help!” Bokuto, who was quickly followed by a worried Iwaizumi, dashed after Oikawa.

Kita, who had been watching everything that had been happening with Hinata and Oikawa, decided to follow after the group entering the kitchen. “I’ll go make sure they don’t destroy your kitchen.” The gray and balck haired fox softly muttered.

Hinata brought a hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes. His head felt cloudy and he needed to clear it. 

“You okay, Shoyo?” Kenma asked softly as he noticed his friend in minor distress. 

“Second rule about the supernatural--specifically vampires. They have a special ability that bends people to their will.” Tsukishima snarkily stated. The reaper laughed to himself at the glimmer of fear in Hinata’s eyes. 

“But you don’t have to worry about that with Oikawa-san. Tsukki’s just trying to scare you.” Yamaguchi gave the blonde a disapproving glare. 

“Suga just texted me saying he’s outside.” Daichi sated as he stood up and walked to the door. The front door opened and a gray haired vampire could be seen wrinkling his nose in disgust as he stepped over deer’s body.

“Oh, I was just about to knock!” Suga stated as cheerfully as he could given the circumstances. Daichi made way for Suga to enter the cabin before pausing and turning back to Hinata.

“Suga...also needs permission to enter your home, Hinata.” Daichi spoke slowly and in an unsure tone. He didn’t know how Hinata would react. A look of realization crossed Suga’s face before he turned and waved at the red head.

“So does that mean, you're a vampire too, Suga-san?” Hinata questioned carefully. He seemed visibly uncomfortable with all this new information, but he was doing his best to take it all in stride. 

“Yes, Hinata-kun, it does. But I promise, you don’t have to fear me.” Suga gazed earnestly into Hinata’s eyes. Hinata didn’t feel the same dizziness that he felt with Oikawa; he didn’t know what that meant.

“Okay Suga-san, please, come in.” Hinata smiled at his new friend, who passed effortlessly through the threshold. Daichi and Suga sat down on the couch Daichi and Kita were previously sitting on. 

Daichi cleared his throat and captured Hinata’s attention once more. “Well, now that Suga’s here, I’d like to start off by telling you about our pack--Karasuno.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this comment please leave me a kudos, or maybe a bookmark, or even a comment if you're feeling generous!  
> Much love to all of you! Hope you all are staying happy and healthy!  
> \--Nyx <3


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